


Will you catch me when I fall?

by Afanwithglasses



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Description of blood, Half human half Nogitsune Stiles, M/M, Magic, Mildly Dubious Consent, Nogitsune returns, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Season 5 derivative, handjobs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:15:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 36,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26767138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Afanwithglasses/pseuds/Afanwithglasses
Summary: Stiles can feel it; a growing hunger pulling him towards what shouldn’t be desired. Confusing, dark premonitions that taste like metal dance on the tip of his tongue too. He’s changing, yet he refuses to believe it. There are better things to worry about, like graduating, keeping the pack together, and surviving the next supernatural catastrophe. Though, the universe never really cared about what Stiles wanted.Long awaited chaos finally strikes, and things will never be the same. Awakened once again, the Nogitsune offers to help Stiles, but he won’t do it for free.
Relationships: Nogitsune & Stiles Stilinski, Nogitsune/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 24
Kudos: 101





	1. Admit you need me

For the first few weeks after the whole Nogitsune event, Stiles still felt like his body didn’t belong to him. It was like this copy of his old body would go against him all of a sudden, _maybe gut some innocent passerby with a pair of keys, or worse, an actual knife if he had his hands on one._ At times he would re-live painful moments, coming to clarity only when his lungs couldn’t seem to get enough air. There were even times where he could have sworn he saw the Nogitsune, either wearing Rhys’ body or the dark, intimidating copy of his own, lurking around, threatening him and everyone he loved with his ghostly presence alone. The nightmares ran rampant for a long time after the Nogitsune was supposedly defeated, killed, sealed… whatever you wanted to call it. For a while it felt like things would never get better… but they did, because of some miraculous wonder called ‘time’.

Time healed him just a little, and a whole lot of other new traumatic experiences which left him no time to drabble on past ones _definitely_ made sure his mind was occupied. At least occupied enough to suppress _those_ memories. Memories of not being in control, memories of him and the Nogitsune doing horrible things… memories of liking it and that sick pleasure it gave him- even loving it at times. Those memories, they had to be suppressed. Luckily, that was exactly what new stressful and threatening situations helped do.

So much happened way too soon, but Stiles and the others really had no choice but to get involved, especially not when their names were on the lists of people with a reward to their heads. After the whole benefactor thing, Stiles sort of forgot about the worries the Nogitsune gave him. At least for a while. They soon came back as more of a distant nagging that he could only hear if he actually wanted to listen. And, over the course of their break, he had all the time to listen.

* * *

It was the night before the new school year. The time to shine, get everything back on track again and actually start planning for the future was there. Of course, Stiles wouldn’t let himself get behind on any kinds of planning. In fact, Stiles had planned too much, _worried too much about the future_ , and he realized that when Scott looked at him with a knowing, concerned look.

They stood leaned over the hood of Stiles’ jeep when Stiles noticed that Scott had caught on to him. Stiles just knew Scott could smell how anxious he actually was by reading that expression. Great. The worries he had of the Nogitsune were growing _and_ he worried so much about the future that his best friend was giving him the same kinds of looks from the time he was possessed. Crazy.

“It just feels like something is going to happen,” Stiles whispered, talking in a hushed tone, trying to explain himself in a less worrying way. “Like something supernatural is going to ruin our plans,” he added.

“It’s probably just your anxiety,” Scott said, trying not to sound dismissive.

“Even I smell it,” Liam grimaced from where he stood, chained up to a tree- a measure they had to take to after the blond little beta had taken a naked hike the last full moon. Stiles scoffed, pointing at him without needing to even say “Shut up” because Liam and Stiles just knew when not to go even further with each other. If they respected that knowledge was always up to interpretation.

“I just don’t get why you’re so worried, Stiles. You have good grades… kind of getting better at Lacrosse,” Scott began to list, though the slight sliver of hope Stiles had for the list to be endlessly long and positive died already at the second point.

“Oh gee that’s… _so touching,_ ” He deadpanned, placing his palms flat on the hood of the car, drumming his fingers in unison twice, then stopping.

“Well your new shampoo smells nice,” Liam piped up.

“Yeah, that too. Which brand?” Scott added.

“What is with you wolves and sniffing soap?” Stiles questioned and threw his hands in the air, exasperated.

“I don’t know man” Liam sighed, hanging his head low. The beta was just trying to be helpful.

There was a longer pause between the three, where Scott looked up like he regretted being there and Stiles squinted at them all, before he started glancing between Scott and his own fidgety hands. Truthfully, he did feel anxious. There was a lot that could go wrong this year. Hell, they hadn’t had a _supernatural event free_ year in high school _yet._ He doubted this year would be any different. It just felt like something was coming, like a growing presence of something evil was making itself known to him. And that was all on top of the regular high school worries and the new worries- like if they were going to still be seeing each other after graduation.

“Look, it’s not that I don’t feel anxious either. I just want to focus on getting a good start on the school year and maybe not worry before something _actually_ happens” Scott said, looking at Stiles from underneath his eyelashes, slightly hunched over and leaned towards Stiles so Liam wouldn’t hear them.

“You and me both” Stiles mumbled to himself. “It’s just… I don’t know how to explain it… I keep getting this feeling like, like something is going to…” Stiles didn’t finish. He had to his own dismay started to notice these kinds of things by now. Whenever chaos or strife was about to happen, he got this tingly feeling in his hands, his stomach and his toes, and this familiar taste of something metallic on the tip of his tongue came and went. Right now, he could taste the metal.

It might have been the brewing storm that was triggering it, along with the many power outages. A regular storm did drag along a lot of chaos… but the worst part was that Stiles knew that a simple storm wasn’t enough to make him taste metal. It was like with the time he and the Nogitsune shared a body. The Nogitsune could smell, feel, and see where the most powerful amounts of chaos, strife and pain came from. Stiles didn’t want to think about why he could feel these things now. Though, he had undeniably spent countless nights thinking about it against his own better judgement.

Scott gave him another worried look, leaning in even further. Stiles furrowed his eyebrows at that, leaned away just a bit and clenched his fist. He hadn’t told Scott about this weird awakening of senses yet, or his growing suspicions as to why he had them. He doubted he would any time soon. His suspicion that the Nogitsune was making a comeback was just too much to unload on his friend. He couldn’t do it. It was better to suffer alone if it meant he could spare Scott the troubles.

It wasn’t like Stiles was a hundred percent sure either. He had always wondered when he was all alone with himself if he truly and certainly was all _alone_ with himself. The difference between the time after the Nogitsune’s defeat and now however, was that Stiles could tell the difference between dreams and reality, and between normal and _not normal._

That familiar presence that stirred and shifted only the slightest at times in his head could be just a product of his overly active mind, but when things moved in real life, that was when he knew something was real. He’d caught it a couple of times. It only moved in the corners of his eyes, always subtly enough for him to just barely notice it. If he tried to catch it moving, it stopped. If he waited for it to move, it didn’t. But it was there; a second shadow that followed his steps and moved just a little bit differently from his own shadow. But, unless the Nogitsune himself appeared in front of him and greeted him with that sinister smile, Stiles would chalk it up to paranoia.

“We’re gonna be fine,” Scott reassured him.

They left it at that, before they went to untie Liam and started to head to the senior scribe at the school- without too many problems. A car that had duct tape for insides and stopped all of a sudden in the middle of nowhere certainly wasn’t worrisome. Not at all. It certainly didn’t reflect how badly Stiles had been worrying lately- so much so he neglected important things. A raging storm certainly wasn’t bad either. Those dry flowers really needed it. Oh, and don’t forget the group splitting up because oh right, the storm. It just couldn’t get any worse.

Well. You couldn’t have one normal event in Beacon Hills without a raging werewolf trying to kill someone, could you? Stiles just knew it. Not even a day into the new school year and things were getting hairy.

He and Malia were about to go inside when Stiles felt it. A pull. A sort of whisper telling him to go the other way. As much as he wanted to go inside and meet up with his friends there, he couldn’t ignore the feeling. Malia threw him a glance, as if wondering what was up with the spike of anxiety to his scent. He didn’t give her the luxury of an answer, gravitating towards the feeling.

Rain poured down on them, but the feeling grew and had him unfazed by the cold. Metal, cold as ice, danced on the tip of Stiles’ tongue, enticing him. That was when Malia smelled it.

“I smell blood,” She said, and Stiles’ eyes widened. “It’s Scott.”

They ran towards the scent of blood, Stiles following behind Malia despite knowing by feeling alone where they would find Scott. Under the overpass, Stiles thought. And sure enough, they found him under the overpass.

_“Finally,_ ” A voice whispered in the back of Stiles’ mind as he watched his best friend stumble to his knees. Stiles recognized the voice in his head as his own if nothing else at the moment. Too much was happening to really notice how the voice had a darker tone than his own, though he would get a chance to listen to what had finally awakened later.

A stranger’s talon-like claws were stabbing Scott’s chest, digging deep, the sight burning itself into Stiles’ mind. The sight slowed him, freezing him dead in his tracks. The blood dripping down the claws, the agonizing pain Scott felt, the fear and hopelessness everyone felt at the moment… it came surging though Stiles suddenly, fast, and shocking like a lightning strike. 

Coincidentally, lightning struck at that moment, just above them on the overpass. The immediate rumble of thunder was enough to startle them all, but Stiles the most. No one took notice of how it made him stumble backwards and fall, or how it made his vision blur. Although it hadn’t hit him, his body burned as if lit by fire. Everyone else were too busy staring at Scott’s battle to notice his weak whimper. 

Scott was no weak alpha, not at all. Thanks to the startling strike he turned the situation around. The mystery werewolf soon suffered from a broken arm and declawed fingers. A stern warning from Scott and the man cowered away, into the rain and out of their minds. Now, Scott and the rest could catch up and get some control over the situation.

Malia helped Stiles back up on his feet, looking at him with confusion in her eyes. Stiles looked away, trembling as the feeling of burning faded. What on earth. He’d never felt so spooked before, though he wouldn’t mention it. It was… worrying. He took the help sheepishly, standing up and patting himself down. Now wasn’t the time to have weird first-time experiences.

Amongst friends was _another_ mystery werewolf, someone who instantly set suspicion ablaze within Stiles when he spotted him. He couldn’t tell why. There was just something. Maybe the way he held himself, the way his breath fell… the way he smelled-

_“He smells like he’ll cause a lot of trouble; don’t you think?_ ” a voice- not his own, but ominous and familiar spoke up, making Stiles flinch. It went unnoticed by the group, and Stiles recomposed himself despite his hands trembling and burning again. It was just in his head, he thought. The lightning strike and the surge of emotion and energy, it was just his imagination. It had to be. Stiles couldn’t smell anything, and he certainly didn’t know what ‘smelling like trouble’ meant. But he knew who used those kinds of words.

Stiles squinted at the new face instead of allowing himself to think about it, clenching his fists subtly. If someone were giving him flashbacks to the Nogitsune, that couldn’t be good.

_“Don’t ignore me, Stiles. Listen.”_ The voice continued, mellowing out, sounding like it wanted to be heard, not feared. Stiles closed his eyes, denying the voice existed. He tried, so hard, to not let it ring in his ears, but it was impossible. The dark fox knew him too well.

_“Don’t you want to know why you were drawn here?”_ the voice asked. _“Why you feel like you’re being electrocuted…”_

_“You’ll understand if you listen.”_

Against his better judgement, Stiles gave in and listened. He listened, but for what? The rain? The distant rumble of thunder… the many heartbeats that belonged to his friends?

Scott didn’t wait around before asking the stranger who he was, and Stiles opened his eyes to look. The stranger looked at them with an all too perfect fake smile, baring his perfect teeth.

“I guess you don’t remember me since the fourth grade” The stranger began.

Stiles squinted, his own pulse rising. There was something Stiles knew was not humanly possible for him to hear in all this rain and wind that caught his attention; all of their heartbeats, including the stranger’s. He told himself he was imagining it, again.

Scott recalled the stranger’s name. Theo.

_“A liar.”_ The Nogitsune whispered, his ghostly breath tickling Stiles’ neck. _“Listen.”_

Stiles dug his nails into his palms, clenching his fists as goosebumps spread on his skin. He focused on Theo and his throat at first, then lower, closer to his chest. His heartbeat rang clearly in Stiles’ ears. It was absurd. This couldn’t be real.

When they were done talking, Stiles unclenched, palms unharmed yet bloody. He didn’t notice, the rain washed away the blood before anyone could see, and he was busy staring down Theo. There was not an ounce of trust for Stiles to give him. Not when even the _imaginary_ Nogitsune in his head told him so. Theo’s heartbeat had been too monotone, too perfectly calm. Not a single spike or a drop- which was normal when talking normally. Stiles blinked and shook his head just slightly. How was he able to hear this?

_“Because you listened, little kit. We’ll talk about that later,”_ the Nogitsune purred. It sent shivers down his spine, making him freeze where he stood, only for a second. It couldn’t be real, could it? Stiles glanced behind himself, eyeing everyone’s reflections in the rainwater puddles behind them, the hair at the back of his neck standing slowly. Nothing but regular reflections met his eyes, until his gaze traveled across his own disrupted reflection.

There, clear as a rainwater puddle rippled by winds could be, he caught a glimpse of silver in his own eyes. Silver, just like the Nogitsune. Just as quickly as he had seen it, it was gone, just like with the moving shadow if he tried to catch it.

His heart began to beat uncomfortably hard in his chest. This was something he had to hide; he knew that instantly. At least until he knew more. If the dark fox had come back, how would he tell Scott? Too many scenarios started playing out in his head, until the strangest reassuring voice purred from the depths of his mind.

_“Don’t worry about me.”_

For some weird, unexplainable, and nauseating reason, Stiles willed himself to relax at the sound of that good old Nogitsune voice telling him not to worry. Or, _relaxed_ would be a stretch. It was more as if the anxiety he felt at the moment just eased slightly, as if getting sapped away. Stiles shrugged his shoulders unwillingly, the rest of the anxiety he felt getting shaken away. No one noticed.

_‘How can I not worry about you?’_ He thought to himself, questioning the Nogitsune. He used to question the Nogitsune like this all the time in the aftermath after its defeat, though he never got any answers. Not answers that sounded like they actually came from him anyway. Though, this time, the Nogitsune - and Stiles just knew it was him and not his own thoughts- replied.

_“We’ll talk about this later, when we’re alone,”_ it said, drawing out the vowels just like always, talking as if he would be found if he spoke any louder.

Stiles complied, figuring that having a conversation with a previously defeated enemy whilst facing off a suspicious new threat wasn’t the best way to go around things. Well, it wasn’t, but he didn’t get much time to actually face the new suspicious werewolf before Theo had stated his intentions and said his goodbyes.

Scott hummed, looking nothing short of puzzled. How Scott exactly managed to be simply _puzzled_ by Theo and not suspicious, Stiles had no idea. Stiles tried to tell him multiple times on the way into the school library that Theo was unbelievably suspicious, showing up all of a sudden to help while another werewolf had showed up to kill him. But Scott didn’t listen to him. After all, Stiles couldn’t explain just how exactly he knew not to trust Theo, and so Scott couldn’t take him seriously. Stiles knew that, but it didn’t make him feel any less frustrated. The prickly, burning feeling in his hands grew and spread all the way up to his arms.

Frustrated or not, he hid it when Malia told them she got in and was officially a senior too, and then Lydia showed up, which made up the whole pack (save for Liam who was with his family). Now they were all there together to scribble in their initials into the school library shelves, which had been Stiles’ only wish for the night. In fact, he let himself feel happy about this tiny feat. They actually managed to get there in time and in one piece despite the thick scent of chaos that lay in the air. If things were going to hell again, at least he would let himself feel happy about one last thing.

As a short moment of giddiness overcame Stiles, he happily took the marker from whoever was in front of him and leaned in to read some of the other initials. Derek Hale was there, and others too, and he smiled as his eyes thoroughly scanned the shelf. So thoroughly his vision became blurred with something violet. Weird, but not the weirdest thing to have happened. Maybe the lights were malfunctioning because of the storm.

As Stiles placed his hand down on the shelf, marker in hand, his wrist jerked. Okay. That was weirder. He tried to hide his surprise, though it was difficult when his own hand seemed to go against his will. His entire hand prickled and radiated with heat, and his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at what _he_ had written.

_‘Don’t show your eyes to them’_

His eyes widened and he did a double take, reading the words again. What was that supposed to mean? Don’t show his eyes? Stiles blinked twice, going over the text again.

_‘MS’_ he read. The previous sentence was gone, replaced by his own initials. So, the Nogitsune was trying to tell him to hide his eyes… were they glowing silver like when he saw their reflection in the puddle?

Stiles backed away and handed the marker to Lydia, who was none the wiser of his avoidant look. He hid it well. He was a genius at hiding things and lying, after all. It haunted him sometimes. 

_“You’re growing faster than I expected,_ ” The Nogitsune’s voice murmured in the back of his head, and Stiles could almost see the way he pondered. He had seen it many times before. The Nogitsune would sit on one knee, propping his arm up on the one leg that was raised, his hand carefully rubbing at his pale lips. It didn’t matter if he took the appearance of Rhys or himself, because the Nogitsune had his own special body language and mannerism. Though, now it felt like the Nogitsune stood behind him, leaning on his shoulder.

_‘Growing faster? What exactly are you doing to me that is making my eyes glow_!?’ Stiles almost huffed in frustration but kept himself together. He could already predict the answer if he would get one.

_“We’ll talk about that later.”_

He rolled his eyes and leaned a little further back from the rest, shutting his eyes tightly, aware he would get caught soon if his eyes were in fact glowing. ‘ _Just focus’_ he told himself. That was what he had told Scott to do when his eyes glowed. Imagining that there was nothing interesting to see might have done the trick.

_“There. All safe,”_ the Nogitsune remarked offhandedly. Great. Stiles opened his eyes again, so done already. The others were distracted by Scott writing down Alison’s initials, and when he finished, Stiles tried to sound sincere when he said “She would have been with us,” because he truly did mean it, but right now the Nogitsune _who was the very reason Alison had died_ was making a comeback. He sighed, not sure if the sentiment came across, or if the scent of his anxiety was alarming them. Perhaps they all felt a bit too emotional to read his chemo signals, because Scott nodded and took Stiles’ words to heart.

With the event over, Stiles drove Malia home. If she noticed anything, she didn’t say. That was one of the reasons why he liked her so much as a friend. She never dug into people’s emotions unless she was genuinely confused, and never questioned why people felt the way they felt.

The rest of the drive home was a bit of a blur. Stiles was itching to face the evil spirit who had possessed him, traumatized him, and gotten his hands dirty with the blood of too many innocent people, but the Nogitsune wouldn’t reply in the car. Stubborn bastard.

He was lucky his dad was on the nightshift, because otherwise he might have questioned Stiles with an all too worried expression when he brought a whole cardboard box full of handcuffs and chains to his own room. Setting the box down and moving his crime solving board aside, Stiles cuffed himself to the foot of his desk. Now there was just figuring out how that would stop the Nogitsune from taking over his body and just break the cuffs. He’d already taken some sort of partial control of him twice this night.

_“You’re being unnecessarily wary of me, Stiles,”_ it said, sighing.

“Oh yeah well you’re supposed to be dead,” Stiles responded out loud, his leg bouncing quickly from the moment he sat at his desk.

_“Was I?”_ It whispered, ghosting phantom lips across Stiles’ ear. It made the teen jerk and look behind himself, but there was nothing but his own shadow there… _yet_. Stiles swallowed thickly, turning back to a forward-facing position. His heartbeat was rising considerably.

_“You noticed me hiding in your shadows,_ ” the Nogitsune started. It sounded like he was walking away from Stiles, further into the room, his footsteps going towards the bed, his hands touching objects on the shelves behind Stiles’ back. _“Yet you said nothing to your friends.”_

“How could you be here?” Stiles’ voice trembled as he tried to figure out how the Nogitsune had survived. “I saw you turn to dust.”

_“When we split, I had to make sure I survived no matter what. Latching on to the shadow of the body I gave you wasn’t as difficult as you might think. The dust merely acted as my cover.”_

Stiles could hear him walking closer again, nails dragging along the edge of the shelf, making a piece of paper fall to the floor. Stiles didn’t turn around to look. He was certain nothing would be there if he did. Had he looked; he would have seen his own shadow stretching to the very part of the room the Nogitsune sounded like he was standing in.

_“I left a small enough amount of myself in you and your shadow for those annoying Oni to not notice. I wanted to keep killing, keep causing everyone you loved pain and make sure that old vixen got what she deserved. But reducing myself to something so little was something I hadn’t done before.”_

Stiles shut his mouth and listened to the Nogitsune as it clearly monologued. At least it sounded like it was getting to a point… some time.

_“I needed time to regain enough strength to become a spirit again. For almost a year, I was an onlooker at life through your eyes. And as if you didn’t entice me enough already, I have noticed that you and your friends always end up finding chaos and conflict without needing to cause it yourselves. You’ve been feeding me without knowing it, little kit, and you’ve done it effortlessly.”_ The Nogitsune purred and walked up behind him, his footsteps heavy and his strides calm. Phantom fingers dug into Stiles’ shoulders, squeezing.

_“Furthermore…you’ve shown me something rare. You’re changing. That little lightning strike happened because you drew it to you- because you fed me enough to awaken me, and then fed on the chaos yourself and couldn’t handle the power. You’re a walking calamity waiting to happen.”_

Stiles whimpered, shutting his eyes tightly.

_“I’m the only one who knows everything about you, Stiles. I even know what’s happening to you,”_ the Nogitsune let his voice drop into a tone of amusement, aware he had Stiles on the edge of his seat.

Stiles opened his eyes, taking a sharp breath and looking up to where the Nogitsune’s lips would have been, had it actually been standing above him. For a while he saw what appeared to be a dark outline of a body, though it was fickle. A fickle shape or not- this was real.

_“I made your body, Stiles. That didn’t come without a sacrifice. I had to give some of myself to you, and then build myself up again… though only you can complete me. Now that you’re so close to making me whole, you need to be careful, or else your own cup will overflow.”_ The Nogitsune explained, his icy cold hands rubbing Stiles’ shoulders tightly, squeezing so hard Stiles couldn’t have imagined the touch. Stiles whined, getting pulled in by the kneading motions.

What did all this mean? Why was the Nogitsune so touchy? He had never touched Stiles like this back then outside of his dreams, and he never spoke as if he was worried for him, not really. But Stiles was a good judge of character- at least he wanted to believe that- and right now the Nogitsune didn’t feel all that threatening. It felt like he was going to pitch Stiles an offer.

“I’m... I’m listening,” Stiles said, his tongue darting out to lick at his bottom lip and his hands squeezing the armrests of his chair.

_“You’re anticipating,”_ The Nogitsune corrected him, his voice dropping to a much darker tone than Stiles’ real voice could. The kneading stopped momentarily before resuming.

“Okay. I’m… I’m anticipating,” Stiles agreed. He wasn’t quite ready to leave all his fear of the Nogitsune in the past just yet.

_“And what are you anticipating_?” The sly fox asked, teasing Stiles with phantom lips getting closer to his ear. It made the teen shudder yet again and sink lower into the chair, raising his shoulders to get the ticklish feeling that belonged in his weird, feverish dreams to go away. It didn’t work, and Stiles forgot he had himself handcuffed to the desk. Big mistake. He tried to swat the Nogitsune away, but his cuffed hand wouldn’t budge, and his free hand was too busy gripping the armrest to be of any help. A dark chuckle left the Nogitsune’s throat, sending Stiles into another shiver.

“You sound like you’re going to make an offer, but I know you want something in return,” Stiles stammered, his lips quirking into a fake smirk just briefly. It wasn’t often he felt like he had an advantage, but in this weird situation he knew he was actually the one who could make all the choices. Otherwise the Nogitsune wouldn’t have taken so much time to talk to him and ‘cozy up’ to him, would he? He would have taken control of his entire body right away.

_“Correct.”_ The dark fox kept chuckling, as if amused by Stiles’ little fake, cocky act.

“Well? Tell me, or _I’ll_ ignore _you_.” Stiles huffed, sitting up straight in the chair. Confirmation that the Nogitsune wanted to make a deal made him feel a smidge more confident. The Nogitsune’s hands eased their touch, and Stiles loosened up.

_“Getting cocky now huh? Very well. It must be part of the process of becoming a Nogitsune yourself,”_ the Nogitsune whispered, his lips curling into a dark smile and his eyebrows raising with amusement.

Stiles gaped, the breath leaving his lungs as he took in the information. No… he couldn’t be serious. _Him?_ Stiles the human, a Nogitsune? Hell no. Speculations were just speculations. Accepting this as a fact was a whole other story. It was part of a story he didn’t want to be part of. As soon as he got himself out of the cuffs he would hightail it down to the animal clinic and ask Deaton for every know way to perform an exorcism. There was absolutely no way in hell he was turning into-

_“Yes, you are turning into one, but don’t wet yourself just yet, Stiles. You’ll still be human. Half human, half Nogitsune… a precious little rarity any fox would want his hands on,”_ the Nogitsune chuckled louder, more heartfully, truly humored by Stiles’ reactions.

“You can’t be serious,” Stiles stressed, turning around to try and grab at what looked like the faintest of shadows. The transparent shape went right through his own hand, and Stiles ended up fumbling to grip at nothing but air, then falling off the chair and faceplanting the floor because of the handcuffs. He faced the floor with a loud thud and groaned loudly, his chair rolling away to a different corner of the room.

Besides him, Stiles could hear the Nogitsune sigh tiredly, and he could practically see him roll his eyes. Stiles rubbed his wrist, found the chain to the cuffs to have broken, and then rubbed his cheek to get the slight sting to fade. The Nogitsune sighed again, this time in a different way. Stiles couldn’t pin it.

_“There’s a reason I’m going to make an offer, Stiles,”_ The Nogitsune explained as the teen stood up, and Stiles saw him shift where his shadow stood. It was still a bit hard to make out the outlines and whatnot, though as he approached the shape and shifted their standings in the room, it gradually became clearer.

It was his body alright, Stiles thought, though it was taller- like Rhys, and just a bit more composed. As he stood face to face with the flickering copy of himself, he squinted, making out the similarities. The last time Stiles had seen his own copy, the copy had looked like it was about to die too: dark red circles framing his eyes, crazed hair and dark shadows shading his skin. They had practically been indistinguishable to those who didn’t know them. Now things had changed. The Nogitsune still had slight red circles under his eyes, but what was a real eyecatcher was the set of silvery, glowing irises. Oh, and black, wavy slicked back hair with hints of purple _?_ In addition, it seemed like their facial features weren’t _just the same_ anymore. The Nogitsune had no moles, his brows were lower, thinner, and the lips were that shade of pale that made all the difference.

“You’re-”

_“I simply customized to my preferences,”_ the Nogitsune shrugged. A harmless and cute appearance wasn’t exactly his style, but he did like Stiles’ features. The very first time the Nogitsune had seen Stiles, the teen had been laying in that ice bath. His hair had been wet, hence why the slicked back hair, and his skin pale as snow by the ice’s doing. He had looked like such an irresistible treat.

Anyhow, the Nogitsune was getting tired of all the dancing around the bushes, all the distractions and the waiting to get to the point. Stiles would have said that was his line to think, had they shared a mind right at that.

_“You help me get my body back, and I will teach you how to control your new abilities,”_ he said.

Stiles tilted his head, his hand trembling as it lowered. _Help him?_ Was he out of his mind? As if Stiles would ever willingly help the Nogitsune. No. If the Nogitsune thought he would say yes, he was sorely mistaken-

_“This form is limiting in many ways, and you need a teacher… Unless you want to become an uncontrollable killer.”_

Stiles bit his lip, his eyebrows knitting and his squint turning just a little harder. His hand came to rest at his hip as he carefully thought about the Nogitsune’s words, all while staring into those silvery eyes. A buzz, kind of like an electric pulsing, _a heartbeat_ , rang in his ears the more Stiles focused on them. So, he had a heart, huh?

_“Fox got your tongue?”_ The Nogitsune smirked, tilting his chin up and standing taller than Stiles. _“You’ll help me…”_ He said, knowingly.

It appeared he would. Stiles knew when he was defeated. He couldn’t imagine telling Scott and the rest that he was becoming a Nogitsune, not if he had no control. A pair of previously perfectly fine handcuffs did lay on his bedroom floor, broken, and if the Nogitsune was telling the truth, he had called upon _lightning_ to strike. He might contemplate telling them what was going on if he knew for certain that he wouldn’t lose control and torture innocent people just for a taste of pain, and the Nogitsune was, to his dismay, offering to teach him.

“You’re going to teach me?” Stiles asked, wanting to hear those words again, just to make sure he wasn’t misunderstanding.

_“I will.”_ The fox gave a confirming, slight nod, his silvery eyes darkening as he observed Stiles’ many fidgety movements.

Stiles swallowed thickly, darting his tongue across his bottom lip as he hesitated. His gaze flicked from the Nogitsune’s eyes to his powerful stance, taking in all the information he could. How the Nogitsune could look so powerful and in control, even after suffering defeat and missing a solid body, Stiles had no clue.

“Well, I don’t need you.”

The Nogitsune continued to smirk, able to tell that Stiles had made up his mind despite the weak attempt to take the higher ground. He reached out a hand but kept it close to his body. Stiles would have to come closer if he wanted to seal the deal.

Stiles bit his lip, at this point nearly drawing blood from it. He eyed the hand like it was a snake, though, he knew he had to shake it because otherwise the Nogitsune would tease him. He had always been a hell of a teasing personality.

The teen stepped closer, uncertain if his hand would even be able to touch the Nogitsune’s, because the last time he had tried to touch him he ended up fumbling through the air. As he was distracted by his own thoughts the fox leaned in, his shape solidifying just a bit more. Stiles couldn’t pull his hand away in time when the Nogitsune grabbed it suddenly and firmly, and so _unbelievably_ tightly. That action was enough to nearly send Stiles into panic, his heart leaping.

_“You’ll admit you need me sooner or later,”_ The Nogitsune growled, leaning in once again. Before Stiles could make a sound, the Nogitsune’s rough lips enveloped his plum, raw red ones.

Stiles’ eyes widened and his free hand fumbled against the fox’s chest, his captured arm held in place by a firm grip. It took him a dizzying amount of time to realize that they were kissing, that he couldn’t move away not because of shock but because of a growing need to feel _exactly_ like this- like darkness would catch him if he fell. By that point his lungs were screaming for air and he gasped sharply against moving lips, tilting his head backwards for a breath but never getting more room. The Nogitsune’s lips followed, quirked into a smirk, frosty and raw against his own warm ones, and Stiles couldn’t handle it. It was wrong. Wrong, confusing, and just a fantasy that belonged in his sickening fever dreams. Maybe this was a dream? A nightmare?

Stiles whined helplessly when his already sensitive skin broke under a startling bite from sharp teeth, followed by the Nogitsune deepening the kiss even more with a slip of wet tongue. Dreamy as the pain and pleasure mixed together was, this was no dream. The Nogitsune licked up the sweet, rich blood that spilled from Stiles’ bottom lip with a pleased growl.

_“Call me Void from now on. It’ll be a pleasure to work with you_.” The Nogitsune whispered against Stiles’ trembling lips, a chuckle dancing against them. Then, just as quickly as he had ravished the teen, he disappeared leaving only a lingering feeling of pain.

An aching and bruised lip, and a worrying wish for _more_ was all Stiles stood left with as the Nogitsune disappeared from his sight. Where he had gone, Stiles had no idea. For the time being he was too shocked to really try to figure that out, but had he paid attention he would have noticed that the Nogitsune didn’t go all too far away. The Nogitsune simply went back to Stiles’ shadow, pleased with the way things had gone.

“fuck.” Stiles traced shaky fingers against his bleeding lip, spaced out and unable to move from the spot. What had he done?

* * *

Stiles continuously tried to get some sort of response from the Nogitsune the next couple of days, though he wouldn’t show himself, not even when Stiles used the name told to use. Void wouldn’t even acknowledge him, no matter the topic, and Stiles found himself wondering if he had dreamt about the whole night and just bitten himself in his sleep. It was possible. He’d done worse in the past. Great, now he was going insane again. Stiles didn’t really have time to be going through another mental breakdown. Not with this new guy showing up, wanting in on their pack.

To occupy his mind completely and give himself no time to think about the Nogitsune, Stiles tried to figure out a way to get Scott to not trust Theo. Of course, the alpha was hesitant when it came to _not_ trusting someone. Stiles would have to get some solid evidence, should he get Scott of all people to not trust someone. Therefore, Stiles gathered whatever evidence he could find. Anything, even the tiniest slipup, would build his case.

So, he began at the Sheriff’s station.

“I know Theo’s family left town when he was around nine or ten,” Stiles said, following behind his father as he began to list all the reasons as to why he believed Theo was guilty of something. “And his sister died in an accident when he was eight.”

“Please go to school.” Was all his dad replied with, tired of his son’s suspicions. As good as Stiles was at solving crimes he shouldn’t be solving, this Theo kid hadn’t committed any crimes yet, as far as he was concerned. Noah couldn’t hide that he was beginning to worry about his son again. He could see it. The restlessness, the growing red circles under his eyes- the building hyper fixation on a crime not yet committed.

“Dad, this kid is a werewolf,” Stiles added.

“Your best friend is a werewolf,” Noah pointed out.

Okay, Stiles had to consider that the werewolf thing wasn’t the best argument for not trusting Theo. Scott was a werewolf too, yeah- but Scott didn’t smell of lies! God, putting the number one reason for his suspicions away from the light really wasn’t helping his case, but there was no way Stiles could tell anyone. It would bring more trouble than help, surely.

He observed his dad intensely, worried he might see through him and figure out that there were other reasons for him to be suspicious. His dad was the number one person he couldn’t bear to let the secret slip to. He couldn’t do that to him again…

“Another one of your best friends is a were-coyote. I have no Idea what Kira is supposed to be, let alone Lydia. When the flying monkeys come soaring through the station you will have my undivided attention.” Noah continued. “Until then, go to school.”

His dad gestured widely to the door, and Stiles sighed, momentarily relieved his dad hadn’t caught on, and then suddenly keenly aware of something different. It might have been for the tenth of a second, but Stiles was sure something caught his attention. Something was missing. Light, ultraviolet rays flickered into the room briefly, and Stiles couldn’t hide the confusion. It was happening again.

“What did you do?” He asked his dad, walking closer until he was basically all up in his face. The light flicker of violet continued to bend over surfaces in the room, intensifying every thread of fabric on clothing and every fiber of paper Stiles’ eyes scanned. The badge and the buttons on Noah’s shirt glowed especially intense, but something was missing. 

“What? What do you mean what did I do?” Noah asked, concern and bafflement showing on his face.

“Something’s different.” Stiles said. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was different and definitely missing. A certain shine he never really noticed was gone. “What’s new?” he asked himself, the ultraviolet shine to things distracting him enough to never really let his dad look him in the eyes.

For a brief second, Stiles’ gaze flickered over to his dad’s, and the Sheriff squinted. Silver. Noah was certain he saw silver. But that could be explained by plenty of things. The sun, the reflection of a window… the list went on. What was more concerning was the teen’s behavior. Noah would have to check up on that later and hoped that his son was just acting weirder than normal based on past experiences and that something new and horrifying wasn’t happening.

“For the love of God Stiles, just go to school.” The Sheriff raised his voice, pushing him away just a little.

Stiles snapped out of it, the ultraviolet shine disappearing immediately. Strange. It should probably worry him more than it amazed him. Maybe supernatural senses could be useful if he learned to control them.

“I will if you promise to do a full background check on the Raekens.” He said.

That was it. Stiles could already tell his dad was tired. Of course he wouldn’t do one. But Stiles knew someone else who knew of the supernatural things going on in town who could help him. Parrish.

The deputy was none the wiser than the sheriff when it came as to _why_ Stiles needed the background check, but at least he yielded when the “because he’s a werewolf” explanation fell off of Stiles’ lips. Oh, Stiles couldn’t hide how easy it was for him to manipulate people these days. The Sheriff just shook his head in disappointment, visibly through the blinds in the office.

“Is this new guy… is he a threat?” Parrish asked, leaning closer to Stiles to avoid anyone listening in on them as he tapped away at his keyboard. The deputy was easily fascinated by the supernatural, probably because he was part of that world himself with no knowledge of what he truly was. Stiles could briefly feel a sense of relation. He didn’t know what he would become either.

Stiles had to consider his response, not wanting the deputy to know too much. Secrecy was part of Stiles, now more than ever. If Stiles pulled on the strings too hard and made Parrish part of the investigation too, that would put the deputy in danger as well. No, this was a kind of investigation Stiles wanted to keep close.

He shook his head, licking his bruised bottom lip. Yup. It was still bruised.

“He didn’t do that, did he?” Parrish glanced to Stiles’ lip, cocking an eyebrow in suspicion.

Stiles gaped, all thoughts coming to a halt in his mind. The memory of the heated kiss came to mind and- oh God, no. No. Theo had done no such thing. The bruised part of his lip was the doing of someone a million times worse. The deputy was the only person to have noticed, and that was the conclusion he came to!? Stiles grimaced and Parrish came to realize the absurdity of his assumption with a dumbfounded look on his face.

“No! Just no. I walked into a door,” Stiles lied, folding his hands together. He did do that a worrying amount of times. It wouldn’t have been the first time he earned himself an injury for it.

“Don’t worry about it. You have…oh, you have a drug deal gone wrong to solve. Sounds fun.” Stiles tried to distract Parrish with a dry, tasteless joke, his eyes being drawn to the case pictures with worrying interest. The deputy looked down to his case files quickly, mouth agape. With a second double take, he covered up the many gruesome evidence pictures from the teen with his arm.

Blood, gunshot wounds, torn limbs, and guts. Stiles couldn’t help but roll his eyes as his vision grew violet again. This had to be part of becoming a Nogitsune. A chance glimpse of himself in the reflection of a desk lap confirmed Stiles’ theory. Silver.

‘s _top it’_ Stiles told himself. Those pictures were nothing interesting. Not that kind of interesting. It wasn’t as if they radiated of a purple glow which was making his hands prickle and his stomach do loops. 

“There’s not much. Just a speeding ticket.” Parrish spoke up after a while.

“Great!” Stile exclaimed, pressing ‘print’ before Parrish could do anything to stop him.

* * *

It was purely by chance that Scott agreed to question Theo about his past in the locker rooms. They happened to stumble across him there, getting ready for a workout during a free period. All Stiles had to do after two days’ worth of constant nagging was to give Scott one last ‘do it’ look, with heavy emphasis on the raised eyebrows and nodding gestures. Scott caved, rolled his eyes, and went to announce their presence to Theo.

The stray beta, or should he say omega, turned to face them. Theo’s casual smile turned into an even bigger one once he saw Scott, but the smile died down a little when he saw Stiles. Wow. Talk about subtle, Stiles noted.

“You look like you’re going to jump me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re pretty, but not that pretty.” Stiles scoffed, fidgeting with he strap on his bag. Parrish’s assumption earlier that morning replayed in his head and he grimaced, again. As if someone like Theo could kiss him in the same way the Nogitsune did… finding the exact way he liked it and-

Theo raised his eyebrows at that wandering look of his, now smirking and throwing Stiles off the loop. What was that for? That little shit. Stiles looked to Scott for backup and the alpha sighed again.

“We’re not going to jump you, Theo.” Scott reassured him, giving Theo a sympathetic look. “We-” the alpha nodded towards Stiles “-just have some questions for you. Because we like to be on the safe side.”

“What do you want to know?” Theo asked, his smile as sweet and fake as always. Stiles could barely hide his contempt.

For the entire time Theo was telling his story, Stiles could feel there was something off. A buzz running through his hands, a feeling of something dark knotting in his stomach, twisting, growing. It was like with the pictures. They made Stiles feel a certain way, like he was _hungry_ and close to the edge of a cliff, about to fall but eager to feel the surge. Theo couldn’t hide what a Nogitsune craved. What inhumane things had the teen done to make himself draw darkness to himself like this?

Stiles tried to push the supernatural away and search for logical ways to explain and uncover plot holes in Theo’s explanation. Instead of thinking of the twisting darkness he gravitated towards, Stiles focused on the human tells. He recognized the searching eye contact of a confident liar- that telling stare speaking for itself. Then, there was the seamless story, as if practiced over and over to be told perfectly.

Theo remarked that Scott could listen to his heartbeat and hear that he was telling the truth, but Stiles dismissed it.

“Or you’re a really good liar.” He pointed out, walking closer. A spike. Oh. There was a spike, and Stiles had heard it. Scot hadn’t. The scent of anxiety filled the air. Was it Stiles’ or Theo’s? God, this was infuriating. Why Couldn’t Theo have any tells that could be seen by humans and werewolves alike?

A hard stare lingered between the two, Stiles’ eyes not wavering and Theo’s searching. Frustration was building. Stiles gripped the strap on his bag harder, squinting, catching Theo with another smirk full of teeth. Fuck. _‘Control yourself Stiles’._ He _didn’t_ want to see Theo dead. Nope. Stiles _didn’t_ want to see the guy with a face full of blood, his insides getting twisted by a sword. Oh fuck. Stiles’ imagination ran wild, his eyes darkening and the scent of his urges growing.

Scott stepped between them just as the lights flickered, common for the boy’s locker rooms but no electric fault this time. Scott didn’t notice. He focused more on Stiles than on Theo and anything else, as if Stiles would throw the first punch should he be let any closer.

“I’m sorry. I really am, Theo. We’ll think about it, yeah?” Scott assured him, pushing Stiles away from the omega.

“Scott, what?” Stiles snapped out of his trance when he got backed up against the lockers by his friend, the alpha’s arm pressing against his chest. Was he… was Scott holding _him_ back? Scott was more worried about him than Theo?

“Yeah, I’ll go to class now. You’re not the only ones I need to impress,” Theo threw their way, backing out of the locker rooms. As he turned away, Stiles could have sworn he saw a smirk on his lips again. Fuck it- he pushed against Scott’s arm.

He wanted to point it out, wanted to tell Theo to come back and face them like the liar he was, but Scott’s stare silenced him. He looked angry and conflicted, and his arm pushed against his chest harder by the minute. As far as anyone in the pack knew, Stiles wasn’t supernatural. As far as Stiles knew, no one knew he was supernatural. Yet, Scott was eyeing him as if he was the dangerous one.

Stiles swallowed thickly, calming down the longer his friend held him trapped. Okay. Maybe a slight murderous intent had leaked out amongst chemo signals. Maybe Stiles had, for a brief moment, wanted to injure Theo… wanted to make a scene much like those pictures he saw earlier that day.

The thought churned in his head, and the more it churned the sicker it made Stiles feel. Once guilt started to scent the room, Scott eased on the pressure. He finally let Stiles go, worried looks all over.

“I just… had a bad couple of nights.” Stiles admitted; his voice hushed. The teen tried to lower his head, avoiding eye contact as he hoped Scott would accept the poor excuse. The fact that he’d let those sickening urges come out so easily worried him. Fuck. He really did need a teacher. He needed the Nogitsune to teach him how to control this. What if Scott knew?

“I know, Stiles. You… you smell.” Scott didn’t know how else to phrase it, though he did look apologetic for saying it so bluntly. The alpha covered his nose.

“Like… bad?” Stiles asked. He didn’t know how to take the comment other than to try to make it into a joke. That was what he was good at. Turning serious situations into a joke. At least a laugh would ease the tension between them, maybe save him from any confrontation.

Scott shook his head, a defiant chuckle leaving him soon after, followed by a smile.

“No. Just your emotions. Your soap’s nice. The girls won’t notice.” Scott smiled, understanding that this was Stiles’ way of cutting the tension. “Or the guys.” He added, tilting his head towards the door. It was time to go to class.

Stiles sighed, relieved for now. If Scott knew more than he let on, Stiles was grateful. It showed that his friend wasn’t going to abandon him for a slip up or two. At least Stiles let himself hope so, for the time being.

This did however, complicate things. Theo was undoubtedly guilty of something, yet Scott was more certain than ever that Theo was a good guy. Stiles had seen it in his searching eyes though, that Theo had figured something out. As inexperienced as Stiles knew he was with this whole ‘becoming a Nogitsune’ thing, he knew that he could have easily slipped up in other ways than his lack of anger management. Derek’s words repeated in the back of his mind. _“young kitsune don’t know how to control their aura”_. What if he had an aura too? What if Theo had seen it, or seen silver in his eyes? There were too many unknown variables on the table, and they had to be dealt with. Stiles needed help, admittedly so, from the Nogitsune.

_‘Fine. I admit it. I need you.’_


	2. Outfoxing the wolf, Part 1

_‘Fine. I admit it. I need you.’_

The confession rang clear in Stiles’ mind, looping as he watched their teacher scribble uninteresting words on the board. Chalk dust, little specks of it, fell slowly to keen eyes, yet the words written by the material blurred. Stiles’ mind couldn’t seem to focus on the correct things. The chalk dust, a student tapping their pencil against their book, the sounds of watches ticking and heartbeats pulsing in all their different rhythms all around the room, it was too much.

Going to class after having a near breakdown had been a bad choice. Going to class after admitting to the Nogitsune, to Void, that he needed him was an even worse choice. That unspoken confession had awakened the slumbering shadow; Stiles could tell. It was part of why he couldn’t focus.

The shade cast by his own shadow could only reach a certain level of darkness. Had it been normal it would have been transparent, but when Stiles threw a glance behind himself it was as if the shadow impersonated a bottomless pit of black. Pitch-black, endless, drawing all light to it and swallowing it whole. A bone deep chill followed, traveling from the base of Stiles’ spine and up, spreading down his arms, then settling in his hands.

As frightening as the sight and the chill was, it was also comforting. The Nogitsune, announcing his presence with the darkness as he awoke from his light slumber, relished in the satisfaction of being right and wanted, and that emotion leaked out. Back when they had shared a mind and body, Stiles’ emotions and Void’s emotions had merged at times. At least Stiles somewhat knew what the Nogitsune’s satisfaction _felt_ like, despite not being too familiar with seeing it. It meant that Stiles could be at ease, for now.

While not taking any form this time, the Nogitsune wasn’t invisible to Stiles. Stiles’ pitch-black shadow slowly split into two, as slowly as the sun moved and the hour passed by. It was so slow no one would notice, except for Stiles, because Stiles noticed everything. As the hour neared over, the darker double shadow had traveled far from its original place, traveling across the floor and over desks, moving from standing beside Stiles to directly in front of him.

The shadow slowly stood up, casting itself onto the blackboard. It came as no surprise to Stiles when no one in class noticed the abnormality. Why Void had taken so long to get there though, Stiles had no idea. He paid close attention to the shadow, his eyes scanning its every move.

Void walked, leisurely and with a sway to his otherwise composed body. Relaxed, confident, aware he had Stiles’ attention and that he could keep it that way for hours if he wanted. This, however, was not his plan. Void was patiently waiting for the same thing Stiles was impatiently begging for, for the bell to ring. When it finally did ring, Stiles was on his feet before anyone else had time to react. The shadow was out the door.

“You okay?” Scott asked, jumping to his feet too by instinct. He had been sitting beside Stiles the entire time, carefully observing his friend’s wandering looks and impatient behavior, though the sudden movement had him bewildered.

“Yup!” Stiles replied, in a hurry to get the hell out of there.

He didn’t give Scott the privilege of a conversation, already out the door by the time the alpha had collected his books. Stiles met Kira in the hallway, and he supposed she might have been the reason why Scott never came running after him. Anyway, Stiles had better things to do than to hang around not doing anything. He had a shadow to chase.

And chase he did. Down hallways, past corners, into crowds of students and out of them again. Giving in to Void’s obvious desire to be followed was a stupid move, but the only move Stiles could think of at the moment.

The shadow led Stiles halfway around School before it even let him catch up to it a little. It was hard for Stiles to keep up and keep track of him with all the people getting in the way, but when making another swift turn around a corner it finally seemed like he was gaining in on him. Just a couple of steps more…

Stiles followed the Nogitsune into a darker corridor, the shadow slowing its pace, coming to a standstill abruptly. Stiles halted as well, his shoes squeaking against the floors at the sudden stop. He swallowed once, thickly; eyes wide as he kept his gaze pinned to the shadow. The shadow on the floor crossed its arms over its chest, his foot tapping slowly. Oh, come on. Stiles groaned. Not everyone had supernatural stamina or speed. Stiles took a steadying breath, swallowed thickly once again, then leaned up to stand tall.

The lights in the narrow corridor they were standing in flickered dimmer, and the teen felt goosebumps prickle his sensitive skin. He’d been so hung up on chasing the shadow- on chasing Void, that he hadn’t thought about what to do when he caught up to him. Furthermore, Void had let him catch up to him. The dark fox had stopped on his own free will in this dark, lonesome corridor. Should he be getting worried?

Shadows began to spread out from where Void’s shade lay on the floor, creeping up the bleak walls, swallowing up the little light that was left. It left the teen completely in the dark. All Stiles could hear was his own breathing, his own heartbeat, and the sound of electricity buzzing loudly in his ears. Then the Nogitsune’s unmistakable footsteps approached, one step at a time. The sound echoed, traveling down the narrow corridor, reaching no one else but Stiles.

Slow, heavy, carrying such confidence and power. The Nogitsune didn’t need to say anything. All Void had to do, was simply _walk_ , and people would understand what a threat he was. Stiles knew what a threat he had been, what a threat he was, what he could be… but he stood his ground. He’d admitted to Void that he needed him. The deal, if Stiles understood correctly, was that in turn for him helping the dark fox get his body back, the dark fox would teach him how to control himself. Void wouldn’t overtake him here, as he might admit he suspected, not with such a weak attempt at an illusion of darkness.

 _“You’ve grown. Not even afraid of my little illusions anymore…”_ Void spoke, his voice coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. It made Stiles turn, made him try to find the source, thought the corridor was too dark for him to see anything.

“A dark corridor is just a dark corridor.” He replied, trying to adjust. The darkness however, kept closing in. Cold at first, then growing lukewarm… until it grew pleasantly warm.

 _“It’s in darkness you fumble the most, Stiles. All humans do. You’re in the dark about a lot of things.”_ His voice came closer too, now from behind.

“Care to shine some light on those things for me then, huh?” Stiles didn’t turn around. He closed his eyes, feeling an approaching hand. It stopped right behind him, inches away from touching his neck. For a couple of seconds, Stiles listened. He listened for everything and anything. The Nogitsune’s heartbeat, the sound of his clothes rustling, a slight shift to his feet and his fingers wanting to curl at the nape of his neck- all those little things confirmed to Stiles that he was there, that he was real. It should have been frightening, but it wasn’t.

_“It’s time we outfoxed the wolf, Stiles.”_

As soon as Void spoke, the corridor lit up again. The walls, the floors, the lights, everything went back to normal, and Stiles whirled around to see no trace of the Nogitsune. What he did see however, was the tiniest shimmer on the door handle to the administration office. _So that was his strategy._

Breaking into a room had never been so easy.

* * *

The two completely different sets of signatures didn’t faze Stiles’ friends at all. Scott even gave him a skeptical look when he asked if he had broken into the administration office. Stiles lied, told him the place had been left unattended and that he certainly hadn’t picked any locks. It just earned him a couple of sighs and more worried looks.

“You ran out of class to break into the administration office?” Scott asked, eyebrows furrowed into speculation.

“Class was over!- Look, see this?” Stiles shook the papers in front of his friends. “They’re completely different. This is evidence! All we have to do is gather some more, and we can expose Theo!”

“Evidence you broke into the administration office…” Scott corrected, leaning over the table to look at the papers. “They’re not even that different.”

Stiles scoffed, offended no one saw the difference and further offended at the fact that Scott wouldn’t trust his immaculate detective work or his instinct. However, this was not unexpected. It was basically what Stiles had hoped for, in a sense.

“Fine. I’ll figure it out myself!” He exclaimed, already on his way out the doors. The over-the-top act earned him many looks, and he put even heavier emphasis on the fact that he didn’t need any of their help once he really had the entire library’s attention. Great. Now they all knew he was going alone. It was all part of the plan. 

However, Liam sneaking along was not. The Beta had been Interested enough to sneak along into his car and scare the living shit out of him. Thank God his fox powers didn’t go into overdrive at that.

Liam just turned to him, holding the two papers from the dashboard.

“So how did you break into the administration office?”

“I uhh...” Stiles sighed; keenly aware Liam was listening to his heartbeat. He licked his lips, tightened them, then cocked an eyebrow.

“I’ll teach you if you promise not to tell Scott where we’re going.”

“Really?” Liam’s eyes lit up, full of wonder and excitement. It was adorable, just like a puppy seeing a new toy.

Learning a criminal skill shouldn’t have been so exciting to the puppy, but Stiles couldn’t blame him for it. The wolves could be really cute in that way, despite being a total pain in the ass at times. Besides, how much damage could one werewolf do to his plan?

One hit and miss trip into the woods with Liam later, and Stiles was about as close to humiliated as he could get. They’d sat outside Theo’s house for three hours watching him play videogames, a golden opportunity to go investigate the teen’s house hadn’t it been for the fact that Liam was under the impression that they were only supposed to be stalking him. There was no way Stiles could break into a house while Liam was around.

Then, Theo had taken a drive around town, and on multiple occasion gone into flower shops. Those would have been such perfect opportunities to catch him alone in public, where people could see it if the werewolf attacked him, but no! Stiles couldn’t do that with Liam around because the Beta would obviously know if Stiles instigated a fight.

As if to make everything worse, Liam fell in a hole, exclaimed he was getting tired, and then the only new information they got on Theo was that his soap apparently smelled nice. Again, what was with the wolves and sniffing soap?

Theo hadn’t even done anything remotely suspicious. Nothing. Stiles couldn’t pin a single suspicious fact on him. The drive around town? He wanted to buy flowers! And the flowers, well, he had bought those to leave at the bridge where he found his dead sister. Liam had said Theo smelled like grief, surprisingly, and Stiles knew there was no way he could turn that around on him. If Liam smelled grief on Theo, then Stiles wouldn’t be able to change the werewolf’s mind. Scent trumped suspicion, always. God the whole plan he and Void had thought out was getting screwed so hard.

_“How opposed are you to making it look like Theo punched you first?” Void had asked, crossing his legs as he sat on top of the office desk. Stiles was waiting for the printer to finish printing the evidence he needed, listening._

_“If that’s what it takes- not at all. We already know he’s guilty of something, so it doesn’t really matter if the others know what he’s guilty of as long as we figure out how to make them not trust him.” Stiles replied, his gaze drifting to the door occasionally. The fear of someone entering whilst he was in the middle of doing something he wasn’t supposed to was ever present. The broken door frame was also a concern._

_“You catch him alone, preferably somewhere public. You show him the copies… you get on his nerves. He punches you while witnesses surround you, and your delicate face welcomes the bruises like a white canvas welcomes red.” The Nogitsune explained, his lips curling into an evil smile, showing sharp teeth. A chill went down Stiles’ spine. As much as the plan sounded dirty, it was the best one Stiles could agree to. The Nogitsune himself was telling him Theo was trouble, and so he had no doubts his friends shouldn’t get near him._

_“But does it have to be my face?” Stiles asked, licking his still bruised bottom lip._

_“As much as I detest letting anyone else but me bruise your body… we need it to be visible. You’ve taken some punches before. Though, this time you’re not going to hide it.”_

_Void had spoken with a serious tone, even with a hint of resentment to it. It took a while before Stiles realized the dark fox was talking about the incident with Gerard, where the old man had kidnapped him, thrown him into the basement and beaten him up, to then let other hunters do as they pleased, for not reason other than to rattle Scott. Stiles hadn’t let Gerard get what he wanted, and instead of showing up to school with a bruised face and telling marks all over, he had stayed at home. Only his dad, and apparently Void, knew of the incident._

_Why something that happened so long ago in Stiles’ eyes would be brought up by the Nogitsune, Stiles didn’t know. Maybe Void wanted to make it known to Stiles just how much he actually knew, or he wanted to make an example of how bruised he wanted Stiles to get himself. Stiles hoped for the first option, if anything._

_“Don’t fear, little kit. I’ll gladly assist you if things go wrong.” Void added. He leaned back on the desk, watching the ceiling lights. They flickered, and his gaze landed on Stiles again, searching. They shone a faint silver, as his shape wasn’t completely solid. “Though it would drain me quickly.”_

_That was the problem though, Stiles thought. He wasn’t afraid of things going wrong. He was afraid of Void helping, of him taking over…of him using him again. Even if the Nogitsune admitted it would drain him quickly, he had proven quite a few times in the past that he could be swift and devastatingly so. However, this was the best plan Stiles could agree to follow through with. To outfox the wolf, he would have to think and act like a fox, and that included playing dirty._

At least, that had been the plan. Instead, Stiles had let Liam tag along. He couldn’t ditch the beta no matter what he tried, because he apparently had some issues with his friend. Liam was usually reluctant to spend time with him alone, but oh no, not this time. Besides, ditching Liam would appear suspicious at this point. Still, Stiles was determined to follow through with the plan, determined to catch Theo in the act of something evil, determined to get it over with and once again be free to focus on the things that _really mattered_ , like Void and the taste of chaos in the air.

Anyway, as long as Stiles could avoid getting caught, he could go back to stalking Theo later in the night after driving Liam home. If he could catch him somewhere in public, that would be great. If not, then he could at least follow through with some parts of his own plan, which consisted of mainly gathering evidence and not framing the guy. It was genius. All Stiles had to do was wait for Liam to get tired, avoid getting caught so that Theo wouldn’t put up his guards, go back later and find him alone, and voila-

Theo turned his head around suddenly, looking in their direction. Both teens ducked, though Stiles was the quicker one, feeling the stare like it was a two-ton weight. Shit. Did Theo see them? He could have sworn he felt eyes on him and a smirk thrown his way. Oh, fuck. Nope. No, no, no. Stiles didn’t want to stick around to find out and backed away from the tree he and Liam were hiding behind hurriedly, with Liam following closely behind, confused.

Liam didn’t see the reason to panic, didn’t understand why getting caught out there after stalking the guy for four hours wasn’t such a good idea. _Oh, Liam_ , Stiles thought. Was it bad that Stiles was so experienced with this or was it worse that Liam had no idea how to properly stalk someone? Either way, getting caught by Theo in the middle of the forest with no other witnesses around was bad. Too many scenarios could unfold.

A: Theo could attack them unprovoked; Liam would take him down, and then Theo would say he attacked because Stiles had wanted to murder him earlier in the lockers. It would lead to Liam not trusting Stiles, and Theo gaining sympathy and trust.

B: Theo could ask why they were stalking him, and Stiles would have to show all the evidence he had gathered, because Liam was a bad liar and definitely couldn’t hide the evidence.

C: They could both try to run, and Theo could tell Scott about it. Boom, Scott would stop trusting him and Liam would get scolded for it too.

None of the options that flashed on a big red screen in Stiles’ head seemed preferable, and the list went on and on at least to the letter Z. Fuck. Stiles would have to think really hard to manage to conjure up some miracle idea for the situation to be in his favor.

Just as they were about to pass a large tree, Theo appeared in front of them, standing on a large tree branch. The two teens halted in their tracks, Stiles more abruptly than Liam. They had been cut off. Great. So much for _‘outfoxing the wolf’._ He’d be ecstatic if he left the scene without any secrets, or guts, spilling.

“Nice to see you again Stiles…” Theo said, jumping down in front of them. He stood up and flashed them a skewed smile, faking excitement to see them quite poorly. The air grew thicker with a rising, unpleasant and stifling heat. Theo’s approach, calm and ever intruding towards personal space, was enough of a hostile statement to make Liam growl defensively. Oh, this was leaning towards situation Q: _Liam attacks Theo and shuts the guy up with violence and they both risk jailtime._

Stiles barely put out his arm to stop the kid, uncertain if he should hold him back or if he should let the beta follow his instincts. Unfortunately for Stiles, Scott’s reminder to give people a chance resurfaced in his mind.

“Woah, why do I get the feeling this guy’s tougher than he looks?” Theo held his hands up, feigning submission to both of them.

“Only when we let him off his leash,” Stiles quipped. He pressed his palm flatly against Liam’s chest, making the beta stand back and stop growling. Liam didn’t take any offense to the comment, though he did cast the older teen a quick glance. The touch was far from rough, though it held a sort of authority to it Liam couldn’t argue against. Scott was his and arguably Stiles’ alpha, but in this situation, Stiles was the one to look to for advice and strategy. If he needed to stand down, he’d try.

Stiles licked his bottom lip, uncertain how to proceed. Residual anger from the morning was getting kicked up like dust in the wind, mixing with his current concerns, making it difficult to see clearly what the next step should be.

“Why do I get the feeling you _want_ to let him off the leash, Stiles?” Theo asked, dropping his signature smile. He now looked wary, on guard even, glaring at Stiles for answers. He should be too, all things considered. That morning, Stiles had smelled of bloodlust and danger, a frightening combination considering the rumors Theo had heard. Those rumors of something dark possessing Stiles, they had intrigued him, drawn him here, but as far as he had been concerned, that darkness was gone. However, he was beginning to wonder.

“Oh, I wouldn’t-” Stiles began, though Theo cut him off rudely.

“You know, I’m a little hurt, Stiles. I came to Beacon Hills looking for Scott, yeah, but I also came for you. I came here looking for a pack that overcame their differences and grew stronger because of it. I came here looking for that, but I get the feeling it doesn’t exist. I haven’t done anything wrong, yet you won’t accept me.”

As the omega spoke the air around the three grew heavier, as it was getting harder to breathe. Stiles could definitely feel it, that heaviness a person feels when they’re lying, and the thrill of deceit. It danced like electricity on his skin, made his veins run hot and his hands tremble with an energy Stiles could barely hope to hide. He clenched his fists and took a steadying breath, and Theo mistook that for some sort of admittance of wrongdoing. What a fool. No, Stiles still felt majorly pissed with a capital P.

Stiles turned his head to look at Liam, wondering if the beta could tell. To his surprise, he didn’t look too aware of anything, only confused. Well, now Stiles was too. Why couldn’t Liam feel this? Why couldn’t he smell it?

 _“The soap he uses blocks their ability to smell his emotions,”_ Void remarked, snarling from behind Stiles’ back. Stiles barely jumped, barely reacted at all, though the sudden voice was a shock his heart couldn’t quite avoid skipping at. Void was intruding loudly, uncharacteristically. _“Get closer to him, and we might be able to fix your mistakes,_ ” he demanded.

Stiles cleared his throat as two pairs of eyes fell on him. Liam looked even more confused, while Theo looked… interested in an evil way. Stiles squinted back, making a face he hoped would convey the way he felt at the moment. His ‘I don’t believe your sob story’ expression managed to make the omega roll his eyes in defeat.

“Why are you so suspicious of me?” Theo asked, now starting to get impatient.

As Liam threw glances between the two older teens, Stiles figured a subtle way to get closer to Theo. He would have to go with option B: to show his cards early. Though, with the Nogitsune planning together with him, he was certain the outcome would be different. He had to hope it would be. Whatever the reason the Nogitsune had for wanting him to get closer, he would gladly comply.

He gave Theo the paper copies he had printed. One of them was an old speeding ticket signed by Theo’s father, and the other was a signature for a transfer form to Beacon High. Theo looked at the two papers with one raised eyebrow as he took them, and for a brief second, Stiles had his hand near his. A tingle of pain screamed up his forearm- a warning- and the scent in the air grew just a little thicker again. Stiles glanced at Liam, but Liam didn’t seem to notice.

“So, my parents aren’t my real parents? Is that what you’re trying to say, Stiles?” Theo questioned. _Is that all you have,_ it looked like he wanted to add.

“Someone is not who they’re saying they are.” Stiles said, getting frustrated. Exactly how his friends with their supposed super hearing and super noses couldn’t catch on to this air Theo gave off was beyond his understanding.

 _“A Nogitsune can feel that which a werewolf cannot smell, Stiles.”_ Void explained. He must have noticed what Stiles had felt and thought, because Stiles’ shaking hands slowly stopped trembling, and the dark fox sighed with satisfaction. It was an odd feeling, again, as if something just got sapped away from him. Void had fed on his frustration.

 _“If your puppy friend can’t smell it, can’t see it, can’t hear it… you’ll have to make him feel it.”_ Void whispered, walking around the three teens as he assessed the situation, plotting their next moves. Dry, frozen leaves, broken twigs and wilted grass made no sound as the fox’s ghostly steps connected to the ground. He had his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the liar, on Theo, the wolf.

Stiles clenched his hand, taking a shaky breath. At least Liam could tell he was anxious now, or it looked like that, because the beta kept throwing him concerned looks. 

_“Let this be our first real lesson. You’re going to create a link, a link between Theo, through you, to Liam. Though, you’ll have to be quick. You’ll need to let me feed on all the emotions you have for us to have any chance at all. You will also have to let me take care of all of your actions.”_

Stiles bit his lip. In short, his first real lesson would be to learn how to trust the Nogitsune with his body. Could he do it? Could he even create a connection in the first place? What would happen if he messed up?

Well, Stiles wouldn’t know unless he tried, and as desperate for a solution as he was, he was ready to try this. There was no way in hell Theo would let them get close enough like this ever again or let him snoop around for evidence. He sighed, blocking out the sounds of Theo talking about his past, about how he wished to befriend them all. Those sounds faded and Stiles could suddenly feel Void approaching, though from a different place. Not from outside, but from deep within. It was like the time in the hospital, where he had been awake and aware that the Nogitsune was coming to take over the reins. It was like a wave of fear, one you couldn’t avoid, you just had to let it wash over and accept it. Though, Void didn’t feel like fear anymore. He felt like a cold summer breeze. Cold, but wanted… cold and _needed._ So, there was a distinct difference between Void when he wore his own body and when he acted as a spirit. Warm when wanting to be human, but cold when needing to be a spirit.

Once Stiles realized that Void didn’t feel like fear anymore, it was easy to let him take over. He let the Nogitsune sap away all emotion, let him sneak back into him, as if he had never truly left. This body was his creation, after all, and he wore it so well their transition from Stiles to Void was seamless. 

Now, Stiles could focus on being the connection, on linking them all three together. At the thought, he suddenly felt like the world turned and tumbled, until he was cast out of himself. It was weird, getting kicked out of his own body. It was like astral projecting, though far from peaceful as most people would have it be.

Suddenly he could see himself standing there, or rather he saw Void, in the middle of darkness, illuminated by a weak white light. Then, the more he looked he could see Liam too, illuminated by something brighter and easily golden, like the color his beta eyes shone. Then there was Theo. His color didn’t match the gold his eyes shone in. Theo’s light was murky and grey, as if too many colors had mixed. Then, slowly came the trees and plants, all illuminated by something freshly green and living. Stiles couldn’t see his own light, perhaps that was just part o f being in this strange spirit world.

Stiles whispered a slight woah to himself, then tried to get back on track. He could see Void getting comfortable with his body, shifting his stance from hands clenched by his sides to crossing them over his chest. He could see him roll his eyes at Theo, provoking the omega so, so easily without a single word spoken. Oh, he was good.

Now came the connecting part. What could he use to make a line between them all? Stiles didn’t realize until his feet landed on the ground that he had been floating, kind of like a ghost, so the touchdown easily startled him. Though, neither Void nor the others reacted. Great. He was invisible. The teen bounced over to Void, not too experienced with the weightlessness he felt. He then waved a hand at Void’s face for confirmation. No reaction. Awesome, he was invisible! Oh, this was crazy. God, if he could tell Scott! No wait. Bad idea.

 _“Stop fooling around and grab the light.”_ A voice thundered from all directions, coming from the darkness that bathed them all. It spooked some sense into him.

Okay, so Void could see him. Stiles should have guessed. As much as it was embarrassing, at least he knew what to do now. Stiles mumbled a low _‘thank you’_ for the advice, weirded out by himself for being polite, and tried to grasp at Theo’s murky light.

Like spider webs, or more like smoke, the light he grabbed at collected in his palm. The smoke, which felt like holding sandpaper to sensitive skin, irritated him greatly, but it wasn’t unbearable. Stiles hummed, then stretched the light to follow him. The teen tried his best to walk from Theo to Void without letting the smoke-like light get whisked away by quick movements, though it was a learning process. He had to go thrice before he could even reach Void.

Once by his possessor’s side, he grabbed at Void’s white light, gathering it in his other hand. He should have been more cautious. The white light stung suddenly, like broken glass cutting into skin. He flinched, tried to back away but realized he had to do this. There would be no other chances, and what would happen if they failed? No, Stiles pushed against the pain, despite the cutting making him bleed, and the pressure- God, it made him groan and shut his mouth in attempt to not scream. It was like the crushing bite of a steel trap, though Stiles knew it wasn’t real. It wasn’t real pain.

He dragged himself over to Liam, holding the two lines of light, straining so hard to make them reach. Stiles could hear Void tell him to hurry, mentioning something about time running out. He could feel it, whatever it meant. It was getting harder to walk, his distance from Liam only growing the closer he came. Oh no, they wouldn’t be able to make it, would they?

The pain grew more intense the longer it took, traveling from his hand to his shoulder, up to his neck and head, it spread so fast suddenly. The core shaking pain he had felt at the time he and Void had separated suddenly shot through him, and it wrung a pained, agonizing cry out of him. Stiles fell to his knees, gasping as the memory resurfaced.

“I’m not going to make it.” Stiles gasped, though he held onto the paining light in his hands. It wasn’t real, but it was hell alright. What kind of pain did the Nogitsune carry for his light to hurt so bad.

_“Time’s up.”_

Just like that, the world shifted and tumbled again, until he was kicked out of whatever world this was. The pain stopped, he couldn’t grasp on to it, not even if he tried. He was kicked out and thrown right back into his own body far too soon. The transition from Void to Stiles was not smooth this time. It turned out Void had been serious when he said it would sap away his energy.

Void’s and Theo’s exchange of hard stares drew to an end when Stiles returned, because how could he keep staring when he suddenly couldn’t keep his eyes open and his lungs refused to take in air. Fatigue and drowsiness hit like a lighting strike, hard enough to knock Stiles out for a second.

Faint as he was he recalled everything Theo and Void had spoken about whilst he had been away, just like the times the Nogitsune had taken over in the past. Just trivial stuff, no mentions of the locker rooms, or suspicions, just a brief conversation about Theo’s past. Had the lines connected, Liam would have felt Theo’s lies, because scentless as they were they were not spoken without emotion. Void had done his job. It had barely lasted fifteen seconds, yet it had felt like several minutes to Stiles. With all that time, he had still messed up… not Void.

“F- woah” Stiles couldn’t keep himself standing, swaying to the side once that second of unconsciousness washed over. It must have looked weird to both werewolves, undoubtedly. Liam caught him with wide eyes, steadying him easily.

“Woah you okay?” both Liam and Theo asked at the same time, the latter even stepping closer with a hand reached out. Stiles groaned, not fatigued enough to accept fake sympathy from Theo, but too weak to get up. He pushed away from Liam with little success.

“I… I think you should get some rest.” Theo declared, once again showing his hands. He handed Liam the papers back, then backed away.

“Yeah come on… let’s go.” Liam piped up. The beta dragged Stiles out of there, confused but more so concerned. First the anxiety, now the sudden fainting? This sounded like a problem Scott should know about, even if he had promised not to tell Scott about this little trip.

Before his eyelids grew too heavy, Stiles could have sworn he saw Theo smirk as he walked back into the dark forest. That smirk, it haunted him, burned itself into his vision. If, for a moment, Stiles was to consider the possibility that Theo had felt him grasp at the light while he was a spirit… or felt that unfinished connection between Void and himself, then he also had to consider his secret to be out and in the hands of the worst person thinkable.

The plan couldn’t have failed more terribly. He should have given up already when Liam decided to tag along, yet he hadn’t. He was too stubborn, too obsessed with pinning Theo’s crimes. Now he had shown all his cards, and truly, royally screwed the game.

Stiles sighed tiredly on the way back, able to walk by himself once the drowsiness wore off. He was so, so tired, barely able to pick up Void’s faint voice as he was walking next to them. Then he saw Scott standing next to his parked jeep.

“Found anything?” Scott asked, both wanting to know, and worried for his friend’s well-being. Stiles looked terrible, those light red circles were darkening, he looked fatigued, and his heartbeat was far too fast for the pace they were walking in.

Scott had gone to check up on them on a whim and found them easily by a mix of alarming scents. It seemed he had all reason to worry. Though, Stiles wasn’t ready for this. It was too easy to tell he wasn’t alright.

 _“You can smell the doubt on him. Why not call him out on it?”_ Void tried to make use of the situation. He needed something to recharge himself with, just as much as Stiles needed it. Though, it was unlikely Stiles would call Scott out on anything at the moment.

Stiles felt an invisible arm sneak around himself as he stood still for a minute. He was being held still, supported by an illusion. It was a strange and belittling feeling, though the intent behind the action had been far from malicious. Despite that, the teen shrugged Void away without any eyebrows raised and shook his head at his friend.

“Nope. Didn’t find anything.”

He rushed to get into his jeep. He didn’t need the Nogitsune to offer fake consolation, and he didn’t need Scott or Liam to voice their concerns. Stiles was the one who had messed up. He wanted to deal with it alone and preferably plan ahead so he could at least be a little prepared _if_ and when Theo decided to use the little incident against him.

“I fell in a hole,” Liam piped up. Maybe he just wanted the growing tension in the air gone.

It was all about to grow even more when Stiles’ jeep wouldn’t start. The damn thing needed maintenance and Stiles was all too done with everything going on to stay parked in the forest for a minute longer. He didn’t want the confrontation he knew Scott was about to give him, but he had no choice but to get out of the car to fix it if he wanted to drive away from there.

Scott helped him with the hood of the car without even needing to be asked, and Stiles twisted and turned the bits he knew needed twisting, his hands trembling and his grip faint. Liam grew anxious where he sat, ordered to turn on the ignition whenever called. The rising tension made Stiles shake even more. He filled up on it, unaware of how fast his fatigue turned into restlessness, unaware of how concerned Scott truly was because he refused to look at the alpha.

However, as if unable to read the mood, Scott kept bugging him, digging deeper as to why Stiles couldn’t trust Theo or anyone else for that matter. A whole bunch of phrases went through Stiles’ mind at that, even making Void advise him to calm down _“because otherwise the cup might overflow,”._ He was filling up too fast, both with frustration and energy.

Stiles huffed. He knew that all the Nogitsune really cared about was himself. It didn’t matter that Void didn’t _feel_ as evil to Stiles anymore or that he had promised to teach him how to control what was going on. It didn’t matter that Stiles _wanted_ the Nogitsune to care about something else than himself, because Stiles simply knew that getting caught now would mean certain defeat for the Nogitsune. He was just playing nice and caring to get what he wanted. On that note, Stiles realized that all the false care everyone was giving him was infuriating. When Scott once again asked why Stiles couldn’t trust anyone, why he was so anxious, why this and why that- Stiles ended up hitting his treasured jeep in frustration, the headlights flashing alive with blaring intensity at the moment of impact.

“Because you trust everyone!” Stiles yelled. He shocked even himself. His hand had hit the rigid metal frames so hard Scott and Liam winced at the action. There had been a distinct sound of something breaking. The headlights died, and the air around them fell deathly silent.

 _“Fool,”_ Void whispered, grabbing Stiles’ wrist without visibly moving it. Only Stiles could see him, but he wouldn’t look at him. If he looked, they’d get caught. Why did the Nogitsune even bother to manifest himself for him?

The moment of wonder was cut short by Void quickly realigning the bones in Stiles’ hand, and the teen almost yelped from the shock. Almost. All sorts of curses went through his head whilst his mouth stayed completely shut, lips trembling. He had gotten good at hiding his pain at this point. Though, not good enough for Scott to not worry. Since he hadn’t seen or heard the bones healing, the alpha took his friend’s hand into his own gently. It was far from the first time Scott had sapped away Stiles’ pain, but now it felt alien to Stiles. It was as if the wrong person was taking the pain. Everything felt so wrong.

Stiles sighed, his blurred gaze shifting from his healed hand to Scott’s searching eyes. The intimacy gave him time to clear his head and time to let emotions flow. How much would he mess up in one night? Scott wasn’t the enemy. He was a damn good person and friend. Stiles couldn’t blame him for worrying, or for trusting strangers, because Scott had trusted Stiles when not even he had trusted himself.

In a way, Stiles felt like he was the one who should be the least trusted of them all, not Theo. He wondered if Scott could feel it at all- the Nogitsune’s presence, or even the growing presence of something undeniably wrecked in himself.

All Stiles saw in his friend’s eyes was compassion and sympathy, which in itself was a wonderful thing to see, though it wasn’t what he was secretly hoping for. For a moment, Stiles wanted to get caught. He wanted Scott to see the second shadow hiding within his own. He wanted to get exposed as a growing evil and dealt with along with the Nogitsune. Maybe there would be an end to his worries then.

He took a deep breath, squeezing Scott’s hand back. Stiles couldn’t deny that even before the Nogitsune had stepped into their lives, he had been balancing on the lines of morality. The Nogitsune had simply tipped him just a little over onto the wrong side. It was just a little bit over, and yet when he and the Nogitsune split, Stiles’ very core ached with pain every day, every hour and every second for a whole too long while. Why did going back to balancing the line feel so difficult? Why did it feel so incredibly daunting to dare tip over to the _good_ side? Was it because he actually belonged on that wrong side of the line?

After the split, Scott had been helpful so many times, telling him the _why’s_ in such positive lights and helping him get back onto his feet, even though Stiles felt like he had caused Scott enough pain to begin with. He had felt like he deserved the pain he felt, like that was his punishment for enjoying the time spent on the wrong side.

Despite that, Stiles had come to terms with the fact that what happened back then wasn’t his doing. It was the starved, chaos loving Nogitsune who had finally found a body to wreak havoc with who was responsible for the pain caused and the deaths suffered. Yet, here he was, getting too familiar with the dark fox again _too soon_.

A quick glance in Void’s direction told Stiles that even the dark fox himself agreed. They had become too familiar too soon. This plan to outfox Theo, it could have been done in better ways. They shouldn’t have rushed, and Void didn’t do anything to deny what Stiles thought, in fact, it looked like he was trying to avoid his glances. The fact that he vanished into his shadow only proved Stiles’ suspicion further.

Scott let go of Stiles’ hand after the broken eye contact, and the jeep started up as if by a magical coincidence. A shadowy hand twisting a wire went unnoticed by them all. They all took a deep breath at that, calming themselves. Scott and Stiles left the apologies unsaid, and Liam never mentioned how Stiles had fainted. For now, silence was better.

* * *

The unlikely stalker duo didn’t exchange any meaningful words on the way back. Liam could tell that Stiles wasn’t in the mood, and Stiles was too occupied thinking about what happened earlier to even notice that there was an awkward silence. Once Stiles was at home, the Nogitsune finally spoke up.

 _“I should have waited,”_ he gestured with his hand as he materialized in front of Stiles. The bedroom door closed by his doing at that, then locked.

Stiles plopped down on his bed, groaning. Yes. A hundred times yes. They had rushed, suffered the consequences, but what was worse was that Void should have known! The old Nogitsune never let a plain fail, always evaluated the risks, and always ended up the victorious one… well, almost always. Why hadn’t he called off the plan before they could even set it in motion?

“You should have told me your light- your soul, whatever, would hurt like hell,” Stiles gritted, glaring at the ceiling with his arms crossed over his chest. “You should have taught me stuff before we even tried to set the plan in motion!”

 _“I mistakenly thought you learned best under stress,”_ Void replied, slowly pacing around the room. He rubbed his lips, his eyes scanning Stiles’ jittery body from the side. Their shadowy connection was stretching thin.

“You knew I would fail, and you fed on that fight,” Stiles accused; his voice hushed but harsh as he bounced up to approach the Nogitsune. He couldn’t raise his voice because he knew his dad was in the living room, but he could make himself clear very easily anyway. “You don’t care about me, about Theo being evil, about our secret coming out! You want what you’ve always wanted. You want chaos, and strife, and pain.”

 _“I cared,”_ Void hissed, his form shifting closer and his eyes darkening. He grabbed Stiles’ wrist, holding it up between them for the teen to look at. Stiles tried to step backwards but was frozen, in shock, both terrified of the sudden grip and the harsh hiss.

 _“I gave you everything I had at the time, and then some,”_ Void snarled, his teeth growing sharp and his fingers growing long, curved black claws. His entire hand darkened, the shade spreading up his arm like the black markings on a fox’s feet. _“And what was I supposed to tell you? Would you believe me if I tried to soothe you? Would you believe that I made a mistake?”_

Stiles shook his head; the motion so faint it was barely registered. He was frozen, not able to confirm nor deny.

 _“Do you think spending my energy on letting you experience the spirit world was for fun? That I healed your hand just because I felt like it?”_ Void continued _,_ his voice lowering as his face came closer to Stiles’, his lips closer to the teen’s. _“I tried to make the plan work for your sake, so you could get some peace of mind. And then when it failed I warned you, I told you to calm down, yet you refused to.”_

They shared a moment of silence, the Nogitsune giving Stiles a dark, stern look, combatting the teen’s frightened flickers of stares. Stiles knew by now that the Nogitsune could physically touch him, but he didn’t understand how that worked. A few days ago, his shape had looked like nothing but mirages in the distance, and it had taken him a while to solidify. Now it took him no time to appear as a rigid physical being despite his energy being supposedly depleted- though only for him. The sight of the Nogitsune having such overwhelming power over him already was frightening, easily making his breath hitch and his lungs ache. The grip in itself was hard too, enough to bruise the skin the Nogitsune had previously healed.

A pained whine left Stiles’ lips and the Nogitsune squinted, easing the grip. Paining the teen hadn’t been his intention but controlling a new kind of anger he hadn’t dealt with before was hard, even for him. This display of mercy didn’t go unnoticed.

 _“Sit down”_ Void commanded, letting go of Stiles before the teen could come with any remarks.

Stiles yanked his hand back and rubbed the bruised parts of his wrist as he took two long steps back away from the Nogitsune. He swallowed thickly as his wrist prickled and his hand trembled. A distinct bruise was left on his skin, shaped like…something. Stiles would have to look it up.

Once again, the Nogitsune sighed with an emotion Stiles couldn’t pin- no wait… that was a lie. It sounded like satisfaction. He threw a less than friendly stare at him, yet the Nogitsune stood tall in the middle of his room, not caring about the hostile looks he was given. In fact, he just looked tired. Impatient.

_“Sit before I make you.”_

Stiles cleared his throat, dodging the intense stare he was given. The Nogitsune hadn’t been demanding or scary in the dreams he had had lately, far from it, and that made Stiles feel just a tad betrayed- foolish even, for letting himself get used to that pleasant side of him. Now the intensity of the old Nogitsune had him on edge. Stiles knew that the old Nogitsune would promise pain and suffering unless obeyed, so, he obeyed. He sat at the edge of his bed, his body starting to feel jittery again. Anxiety, anticipation, impatience… all sorts of emotions whirled around in his stomach.

Stiles started to doubt that he was the one in control even more. He hadn’t been able to control when he would go back to his own body, hadn’t been able to control the Nogitsune’s pain; he hadn’t been able to control anything.

_“Don’t be so hard on yourself, young kit.”_

Stiles’ eyes met Void’s, the gaze nothing short of confused and hurt.

“ _You’ve barely awakened, barely even come of age. You worry about control, though you’re the one who said control was overrated once, and it is. Did you forget? Or do you abide by higher standards than the others simply because you’re supposed to be human and therefore… flawless?”_ Void said, his voice calming as he spoke again. His shoulders slumped and his posture became just a smidge less intimidating. He walked around the room, slowly, taking such composed strides, before he ended up next to Stiles’ crime solving board. His claws retracted as he reached for something.

“ _I figure that ‘mistakes are what makes us human’ is still a saying, and still very true.”_ He pondered. This earned him Stiles’ undivided attention. The teen followed his every move, investigating him, observant of every little twitch of his lips and shift in his expression.

Yes, mistakes made you human; that was true. At one point when Stiles and the Nogitsune had been one, he had claimed he never made mistakes. Though, Void had now admitted he had made mistakes, even admitting so without much strain in his voice. Was it possible? Could something -someone- so evil in the past, become even remotely human?

The Nogitsune entertained Stiles’ eyes by picking up a marker- an action which he had thought to be impossible for the spirit to do. It made Stiles forget about his trail of thoughts, and the dark fox smirked.

 _“The next time we try to outfox someone, we’ll do it right. Next time, we’ll be stronger.”_ Void began to draw on the board, an action which made Stiles sit at the very edge of his bed, eyes glued to the motion. By all means, if Stiles’ theory of the Nogitsune only being able to touch him had been correct, the dark fox shouldn’t have been able to touch the marker or draw on the board. _“I’ll teach you as I promised, so that you can control your power and sooner keep your side of the deal.”_

“And how do I do that?” Stiles was more than aware that he had made some sort of deal with the fox- the kiss and the bruise left by it had been no hallucination- but he wasn’t quite sure what it meant yet. What exactly was he meant to do that would give the dark fox his body back? How did it connect to the niceties the Nogitsune was practicing, the plans and the constant usage of _we_ instead of _I_? Void didn’t answer. Perhaps it was a sensitive topic.

Void’s hand came to a stop as he finished his drawing. A nine tailed fox, Stiles observed. It appeared to be drawn just like the illustrations he had seen on various websites; flowy lines, simple shapes that connected into something far more extraordinary, exactly like an old Japanese drawing. Stiles couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. He knew the Nogitsune was ancient, but not that he had drawing skills to show for that too.

“’s a nice drawing” he stammered, his head tilting up in a nervous manner. Void flashed him a bit of his fangs in annoyance and pressed the marker tip to the board, drawing a line so hard it made a squeaking noise, startling Stiles.

 _“We’ll start with the basics,”_ he sneered.

“You’re going to teach me about… drawing?” Stiles couldn’t help the comment from slipping out.

_“No. Foolish kit. I’m going to tell you why I bothered to heal your hand and why I bother being nice to you, when I clearly could try to go the old reliable torturous way.”_

Stiles gaped once again, dumbfounded and then suspicious. Suspicion never really grew old with him, did it? It was always there in some way or another. Void must have grown tired of the ever-present emotion because he rolled his eyes and continued to explain.

_“We foxes, we don’t usually think about morals. We do what we want. We feed of what gives us the most power. Pain, strife, chaos, those are easily the most satiable of the things I can feed of. Why should I care that a pathetic human or two doesn’t like the way I feed? Why should I care that you’ll cry if I kill your friends?”_

Stiles covered his mouth, biting the sides of his thumb just lightly while thinking about an answer. He knew that the Nogitsune was going somewhere, though he wanted to figure out an answer, because he needed an answer himself. Why did the Nogitsune bother to pretend he cared about Stiles, and why did Stiles catch himself wanting to trust him? Why was it that he’d let himself rush into trusting the dark fox, and accepted his cold presence like a needed breeze on a far too hot summers day?

 _“I could easily be cruel. But I don’t want to, because…”_ Void didn’t finish his line. He paused for too long, as if lost in thought. It must have been the first time in decades that the thousand-year-old fox didn’t know what to say. Stiles caught on to the hesitation, and he hoped for just a moment that the hesitation wasn’t a trick his own mind was playing him. Maybe that fake care hadn’t been fake? Was it so wrong to hope for that?

“Because you actually do care?” Stiles dared suggest. His gaze searched for Void’s, and his hands finally stopped shaking. It was a huge gamble to even say something like that. Stiles had no idea, not really, what the Nogitsune was thinking. All he knew was that his light was unbearably painful, and yet brighter than Theo’s. He knew that Void had seen life through his eyes for a period of time, and that this had changed his perspective. He knew that Void was _trying._ Trying to become _something else_ than the Nogitsune from the past.

 _“…maybe,”_ was all Void said, as if the single word line was all the explanation needed for everything that had happened up until now. Maybe he cared. Maybe he wanted to keep the person he was beginning to care about close and not push him away? Maybe Stiles’ well-being was beginning to mean more to him than the insatiable hunger he always felt?

Stiles took a while to process the answer. Coming from someone who had shown no hesitation in taking the bad route to get to the things he wanted in the past, a _maybe I care_ , had to mean something. Stiles wanted it to be true. It would make things so much easier. It would make his feelings feel less sickening and his dreams so much more acceptable. Though, that single word didn’t make Stiles trust the dark fox completely. Only when the Nogitsune had laid all the cards on the table too, and Stiles knew what he had to do to help him get his body back, that was when Stiles could decide if he really trusted him or not.

As if reading his mind, Void gestured lightly and told him ‘it doesn’t have to be a bad thing’, referring to how Stiles could help him get his body back. His voice rang certain, his heartbeat steady. Stiles doubted that the Nogitsune ever showed signs of lying anymore, but he trusted that steady heartbeat, for now.

“When do we start the lessons?” Stiles asked, looking the Nogitsune over from top to bottom.

_“Right now.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy with how certain parts of this chapter turned out, and I'm even more stoked to move on part two of it! There are many things to look forwards to, so stay tuned ;D  
> Don't forget to comment, since I love comments and I TREASURE them like a greedy dragon.


	3. Outfoxing the wolf, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is quite a hefty update! I’m very happy about it, as this is the longest single chapter I’ve ever written, and it is full of non-canon material! I had a blast writing it, and I hope you enjoy it too!

The Nogitsune’s lessons didn’t last for too long, barely stretching into the moonlit night. In fact, Stiles passed out only twenty minutes in, still sitting upright when his eyelids grew far too heavy to keep up. He sat like that for some time, head nodding forth and back as if he couldn’t decide whether to fall backwards onto the bed, or forwards onto the floor. The Nogitsune watched over him, just as much amused by the sight as he was unimpressed. His head tilted slightly to the side whilst he tried to figure out whichever of the two it was.

In the end, Void couldn’t blame the teen. Void knew how much it took to exhaust someone like Stiles, someone so stubborn they could manage three nights without sleep all while shutting out a powerful spirit such as himself. Many would have succumbed to the exhaustion alone far earlier, and few could have withstood the terrible threats, the haunting sights and tricks that were played. Void figured it was better to let Stiles rest than to wake him up, recalling that learning whilst sleep deprived was downright counterproductive, as the knowledge never really stuck as it should. Nothing had stuck with Stiles during the times he went to class while possessed in the past, and Void doubted things would be different now, save for the possession part.

As the Nogitsune was reminiscing about the past, squatted down in front of Stiles to see more of this strange sleeping position, Stiles began to fall forwards. Silver eyes widened, flickering forth and back between the closing gap between them. It was hard to believe the teen would fall forwards instead of backwards…humorous even. A slight huff left the Nogitsune’s lips, before he realized that Stiles wasn’t stopping, that he was indeed continuing to fall- towards Void and ultimately, the floor. He wouldn’t have time to move back if he wanted to now, and letting objects pass through his shadow-like body was easily said unpleasant. A small click left the Nogitsune’s tongue as he solidified his hand to catch Stiles by the shoulder. There; now there was no way for the teen to fall further- unless he would begin to move around.

Void didn’t have much to catch Stiles with otherwise, as he was simply a spirit with no real body, and honestly, he was running low on energy. Solidifying was hard enough even with decent amounts of Stiles’ whimsical energy running through his spirit, but Stiles was running low, running on fumes, and therefore Void was too. He could touch Stiles, and Stiles alone, their shared connection giving the fox at least that to grasp onto. And grasp he would. That cold hand stayed firm against the warm, soft fabric of Stiles’ hoodie, silvery eyes flickering forth and back, searching for _something._

Stiles hardly noticed he had fallen forwards; even had the audacity to mumble happily in his sleep, and worst of all, make _kissy noises_. Though, that wasn’t the worst part. Stiles was a restless sleeper by nature. It turned out Void did have reason to take his restlessness into consideration- _of course_ he had to. Stiles somehow managed to fall even further forwards, off the bed and right into the Nogitsune’s arms with a last jerk. The Nogitsune could hardly do anything but solidify even more and catch him, not wanting to wake the teen up in this… awkward and straining position.

By all standards, this was awkward. Especially for a so-called _evil_ fox. Darkening fingertips dipped lightly into the teen’s body, gripping tighter by the second, eventually almost tearing at the fabric of Stiles’ clothes. A low groan fell off of Stiles’ lips at that, his eyebrows knitting together as it became hard to breathe. The embrace was so tight, suffocating, cold. The look on Void’s face was blank, though his eyebrows did raise slightly more than normal.

 _“You’re such a helpless kit,”_ Void murmured, his voice straining. Why was he spending energy so recklessly, so uselessly? He could have easily watched Stiles fall instead of catching him, could have laughed at it, could have called it revenge for Stiles daring to fall asleep during his lesson.

As tempting as it sounded in hindsight, asleep like this, Stiles was vulnerable, an easy target to anyone and anything. He was also a mess, most of all, and no amount of sleep could fend off that exhaustion Stiles radiated of. The stress, the anxiety, everything that Stiles felt throughout the day and everything Void had sapped away countless times already, it was constant and so very potent and accessible in this embrace. It would probably have gotten more potent had Void let him wake up, but it wouldn’t be good for anything. If Stiles was running on fumes, then Void was running on less than that, due to their connection. It could be both a blessing and a curse.

Void continued to hold him, eased his grip as he listened to Stiles’ steady breath, and got used to the teen’s warmth one minute at a time, until the clock had ticked for more than half an hour. Silver slowly covered the Nogitsune’s eyes fully, lit up intensely by the little moonlight peeking through the blinds. He shouldn’t try, shouldn’t intrude into Stiles’ mind like in the past without permission. It would be like breaking an unspoken rule, though Void reminded himself he had promised nothing, and it was so laughably easy. Stiles’ mind was completely open to him, like a house with the doors wide open and the warmth coming from inside so welcoming.

Taking over Stiles’ body was far easier than it had been in the forest. Void didn’t need to cast the teen out completely, didn’t need to send him into the spirit dimension, which took a lot of energy. While technically soulless, Stiles’ body had also been just as cold as the Nogitsune’s spirit. His spirit had been elsewhere after all, and Void hadn’t needed to adjust to his warmth. However, Stiles’ spirit was here now, and Void liked this better, liked the teens presence far more than he enjoyed being in control of some lifeless, mindless and cold vessel. The Nogitsune settled into what had once been his and stood up, taking a deep, satisfied breath.

 _“You’re awfully welcoming…”_ Void purred, placing his hand over Stiles’ chest. The warmth of the teen’s human body spread though icy fingertips, a strange feeling for someone so used to always being cold or barely feeling at all. It almost burned.

Void never got a reply, though understandably so since the teen was asleep, frantic to get to the next scenario of whatever dream he was running through. Void smirked. If he really wanted a response he could easily cast his voice into those false scenarios. It was too tempting to resist. Once an evil fox, always an evil fox.

 _“Did you expect me?”_ he asked, letting his tone drop and letting his lips tug into a crooked smile. Playing around was always fun.

A light spike to their shared heartbeat confirmed Void’s suspicions, and the dark fox chuckled lightly to himself as he walked towards the bathroom. Whatever Stiles was dreaming about, it was sure to go in a different direction now, sure to spin out of control. The Nogitsune wondered if it was yet another feverish dream, one of those Stiles would never admit to himself he enjoyed. Oh well. Patience.

Placing himself in front of the bathroom mirror, Void was free to study the temporary body. This so-called copy had once been free of scars, a made-spotless replica of the kit from before they split. Stiles’ old body had borne scars from injuries both hidden and known, but the new one Void had made him had not. A parting gift, so to say, one Stiles could never get rid of- a surefire way to render their connection indestructible. Now however, the Nogitsune could tell the body bore scars once more.

Void hummed, exploring the body with interest as he undressed the teen. Void hadn’t been able to see all of it, hadn’t been able to see every incident that lead to a scar. He had stuck around to Stiles’ shadow, but that hadn’t meant that he was always watching. The Nogitsune could choose to turn his back, to sleep when he didn’t think things would get interesting. Unsurprisingly though, Stiles and his friends always got up to trouble, often without warning.

Razor-sharp claws traced lightly over pale skin, dragging from the dip of Stiles’ waist and up to the sides. There was a paling claw mark scar there, one Void could see more of the higher he raised the hoodie. Had Void dug deeper into Stiles’ mind he could have easily figured out how it happened, but where was the fun in that. He hummed, letting the blue hoodie fall. Their shared heartbeat spiked once again, a strange connection hard to ignore. Perhaps it was the change of temperature that made Stiles stir, or, it was the sensation of being uncovered- _exposed_.

Void arched an eyebrow in surprise. He had apparently not paid enough attention, hadn’t been there to see _that_. A deep red bruising showed on Stiles’ upper body, spreading from the lowest rib and up across his chest. It seemed recent, so recent it could easily be from the same day. How strange. How unacceptable… how-

Void growled deeply, closed his eyes, and touched the sensitive, fresh marks. They hurt, so real and raw. The fox had only possessed Stiles so he could give him a relaxing shower, nothing more, nothing less, but the discovery was making it difficult for him to focus on the task. The fact that Stiles had been hurt by someone else made the dark fox grit his sharpening teeth, caused the bathrooms lights to flicker and surge, and clawed fingers curled into the already bruised skin. Void wanted to know who had done it, wanted to see them _suffer._

Silver swirled in the Nogitsune’s eyes as barely contained possessiveness was stifled, shoved into a deep dark pit filled with so much darkness already it was hard to put a lid on. A lightbulb in the hallway went out, bursting as he tightened his jaw.

Void wanted to believe he knew how much Stiles secretly wanted to feel true pain, in what ways he wanted it, and exactly _who_ he wanted it from. This bruise, when touched, emitted a hint of fear and disbelief… and a need to hide. In other words, this was not something Stiles had wished for, not the kind of pain he yearned for, and it was something he had wanted to keep hidden. Worst of all, it wasn’t done by him, _by Void_. That lingering emotion prickled against the Nogitsune’s fingertips. Curse it, Stiles was sneakier than Void had given him credit for, already well under the process of becoming a Nogitsune whether he liked it or not.

Void rest his claws at the base of Stiles’ throat, an image he had seen the teen dream of before. He could claim him, mark him for the world to see just as the teen wanted so deeply in his dreams. It would be easy, too. Everyone would know. A dark look flashed in his eyes, heavy and chilling, while a sinister smile curled on his lips. It was tempting, but with a slow blink his eyes turned normal again, back to being Stiles’; brown and _human_.

There were other ways of reclaiming what was his, the Nogitsune thought. Other ways indeed. Stiles’ precious blood didn’t have to be spilled. No, it was the culprit’s blood that would gush and paint the walls and floors red if he ever got his hands on them. Yes, that did sound a lot better.

As if the raging emotions had never existed, Void straightened up with a blank expression, his hand no longer lingering at Stiles’ throat. He continued to study Stiles’ body on the way into the shower, the lights in the house no longer flickering. The teen had grown, he noted; taller, stronger, not as fragile anymore but still that perfectly irresistible treat the fox had set his eyes on that fateful day. Scarring him would be such a shame, especially if he wasn’t awake to feel it happen.

The Nogitsune returned Stiles to his bed later, going as far as to put on his pajama pants, dry the teen’s hair and throw a blanket over him, though he never tucked him in. Once done, Void cast himself out with a simple blink, giving up the control he had.

Pleasantly unaware of everything that had happened, Stiles sighed comfortably, loudly, and shuddered at the warmth that spread in his body. Although Stiles wasn’t aware of the kind favor done to him, it was greatly appreciated, something he had really needed but had no energy left to do himself. It didn’t take him long to wrap himself further into the blanket with a snug expression. The red circles under his eyes faded, and the heaviness and always present ache in his body left, if only for a bit.

Void looked pleased where he stood, observing Stiles, once again reduced to nothing but a shadow. No body, no warmth, with nothing physical to his being that could connect to anything but Stiles. Though, pleased as the Nogitsune was with his kind doing, the cries of foxes far and near could be heard that night, shrill and haunting, carrying promise of revenge in the chill autumn winds.

* * *

That night, the Nogitsune had come out in Stiles’ dreams, and while Stiles carried far too many mental scars from the nightmares the Nogitsune had given him in the past, these dreams didn’t scare him all too much. Something was different.

Stiles had awoken by his steering wheel, hadn’t notice himself slip unconscious, hadn’t noticed Void’s surprisingly calming voice fade. Why was he wearing his pajamas? Why wasn’t he cold despite being out in the middle of nowhere, dressed so lightly on a late autumn night? Why was he at the steering wheel when the engine wasn’t even running? Stiles had counted his fingers, tried to get past five, but fireflies distracted him. One by one, flimsily drifting past him towards the backseats, they made him lose count. That was exactly how Stiles found a shadow in the backseat too. He found Void there, wearing that familiar, skewed smile.

They were parked somewhere far away from the city, Stiles reminded himself, by a country road- it had to be, and blurred stars spread across the violet sky as far as the eye could see. Fireflies kept drifting past, still flimsy and never close enough to be in focus. Flickering gazes never stilled enough for anything to stay constant, nothing besides Void did. The windows soon became foggy with Stiles’ warm, shaky breaths.

 _“Why not come back here?”_ the dark fox had asked, shifting where he sat with his arm draped over the headrest. His voice dripped with honey, such an unfamiliar tone- or not. Stiles had heard it before, in past dreams. This was a dream. 

Stiles wasn’t hard to beg, not in his dreams. All control was fleeting, never constant in that sense. All reason and suspicion left his mind once he fell asleep. Otherwise he wouldn’t have climbed into the back so eagerly, huddling for false warmth in his past enemy’s arms.

He shuddered into the black denim jacket the Nogitsune wore, false warmth spreading from where the dark fox rubbed his exposed upper arm with rough palms. The Nogitsune’s heartbeat ran steady, the electrical pulse so familiar yet new. Stiles had to count his fingers again, relieved when he lost count twice in a row. He swallowed and glanced up hesitantly at a calm face.

It was still weird to see what the Nogitsune had tweaked and what he had kept, but the more Stiles looked, the more he came to like the image. The confidence the Nogitsune exuded while wearing that face was what really made it easy to like, what made it different and acceptable. The teen stared at the Nogitsune for what felt like ages, warming up and feeling a hint of thrill grow in his chest. The Nogitsune’s lips looked inviting, so close.

 _“You keep thinking about the kiss,”_ the Nogitsune huffed a smile and shifted his gaze, locking eyes with Stiles. His rough hand dragged down his arm, fingertips digging lightly into the teen’s skin. For a moment, all Stiles could see was sharp fangs and inviting eyes.

Unable to reply, tongue feeling like it wouldn’t move in his mouth, he could only watch as the Nogitsune leaned in. Stiles’ pulse rose, goosebumps spread, and his pupils dilated. He anticipated frosty lips, rough touches, and the taste of blood. But those never came. A teasing laugh tickled his lips when their noses bumped.

Surroundings shifted, warped into something new, ripped him away from the false security of false arms. There was barely enough time to gasp- and nothing to grasp on to. The change was unavoidable.

This time Stiles found himself in a classroom, the walls too blurred to tell which. No one was around, though the door was open. Someone would come. Someone was lurking. Stiles felt it this time and knew what to look for- or perhaps because he thought he knew; he made the fireflies appear himself. One drifted past his eyes, glowing that green hue, so bright in darkening surroundings.

Stiles could feel a presence grow from behind. The open classroom door moved, slowly, creaking loudly until it clicked shut. In the same way the Nogitsune had walked around in the classroom that day, he walked around behind Stiles’ back again. Although Stiles couldn’t see behind himself, he just knew Void was there, coming closer, getting warmer, making his pulse rise. One footstep at a time, he came closer.

_“Were you expecting me?”_

Stiles couldn’t reply. It was always like that. Stiles had no will to move against the flow or to deny the implications the Nogitsune came with, always wanted to hear more. The heat kept rising, the sound of breathing and a rising heartbeat coming closer. Closer, so close, until that sense of a ghostly touch against his neck grew too tempting and he leaned back into it- into a strong embrace, so false it was painful.

That same morning Stiles woke up dazed, sweaty, out of breath and just a bit closer to insane than normal. Those dreams had run rampant the whole night, and despite feeling weirdly clean in compared to when he fell asleep, Stiles needed an ice-cold morning shower, needed to get rid of the swelling shame. He threw a glance around the room, his eyes scanning for Void as he tried to calm his breathing.

Stiles knew the dark fox would be there, that darkness that loomed and announced his presence heavy in the air. Purple flashed in Stiles’ vision, and sure enough, there Void was, sitting in the chair in the corner of the room with his head tiled back. He looked to be asleep, though he didn’t make any sounds, didn’t breathe like a normal person would have to, unlike Stiles who still couldn’t calm himself.

Blue hues cast by the setting moon peeked in through the window, casting themselves across the fox’s shadowy shape. A harsh tingle ran up Stiles’ neck. Stiles hadn’t seen Void sleep before, never saw him rest, never thought of using his fox eyes to find him when invisible- though one could argue he didn’t know how to use them by choice yet anyway. Void almost looked peaceful like that, almost. His pale, purple lips looked every bit as kissable as they had in the feverish dreams, but also every bit as tight and curled into a skewed smile as always, _dangerous._ Because that was what Void was. Dangerous.

Stiles blinked twice and his eyes returned to normal, all colors in the room losing their violet hue. The shadow sitting in the chair disappeared at that, and Stiles had to wonder if Void always sat there when he couldn’t see him, saw everything he did and every breakdown he had. Did Void know?

Stiles ripped the blankets away, freeing himself from a toasty prison of shameful wet dreams. He tiptoed just to be safe, out of the room and into the hallway, uncomfortable, sticky, all kinds of anxious. What would happen if he woke Void? It was a miracle that Stiles didn’t wake up the dead, to say the least. He barely made his way out of the room without stumbling over thin air, barely made it out without exploding a couple of lightbulbs on the way.

It had been a while since he woke up like this. Ages, really. Though, the last time he did, Stiles had felt repulsed and on the verge of a panic attack. Things were different now- worryingly so. Now he was merely _ashamed_ , meaning that the fact that it had felt good reared its ugly head in the back of his mind. Oh, nope. There it was. The panic attack was coming.

Stiles gasped for air upon entering the bathroom, only then realizing that he couldn’t calm down at all- couldn’t _breathe_. He needed a minute, had to lean over the sink and try to count to ten to simply focus and try to get his rapidly rising heartbeat to slow down. One particular line from his dreams kept repeating itself to him, over and over. _‘you keep thinking about the kiss.’_ And the worst part was that it was true. How could he not? It had been so sudden and rough and all kinds of messed up. That was what it was: messed up. Nothing more than that, nothing more than a twisted fantasy made to cope with what had happened in the past. Stiles couldn’t _really_ want something like that; could he? Stiles shook his head and gripped the sink until his knuckles turned white.

Dreams couldn’t be trusted, couldn’t be counted as any evidence for anything… though Stiles knew from experience that they could bear meaning. It was no lie that his pajama pants were sticky, sticky because of a wet, shameful dream. His heart hadn’t lied when his pulse had rocketed those times the Nogitsune had come closer, when fake hands had touched where no one had touched before. It was no lie that Stiles could still feel rough lips on his body, trailing down his neck, his spine, hips and further… to a place where heat kept pooling.

But wait. Pajama pants? An indignant, shaky exhale passed Stiles’ lips. Stiles couldn’t remember changing, couldn’t remember ever tucking himself in, couldn’t even remember falling asleep. A sob threatened to leave his throat. No. Void _couldn’t have_. Could he? Was this some cruel joke? Stiles’ knuckles grew whiter as he gripped the sink harder, that heat disappearing from his body, replaced with cold shivers and cold sweat. _Once an evil fox, always an evil fox._ What a fucking idiot. Stiles should have known better. Just because they had a deal, it didn’t mean Void wouldn’t take advantage.

What had Void done? The teen looked at his hands, checked for blood, checked the pants for blood, any traces of crime. Though, nothing showed. No blood, no dirt or even the slightest evidence he’d bene outside. Okay, so maybe… maybe it was okay?

It took a while, a whole lot longer than a minute, but Stiles’ breathing gradually slowed. Tears were contained, held back and pushed away just like the panic attack. There were other things to think about that didn’t involve _entertaining_ and falling for Void. There were also other needs that presented themselves to Stiles, ones that weren’t as dirty, taboo, or foolish. If no crimes had been committed, then things were okay.

Freshly out of the shower already at 5:40 AM, with all emotions and lingering touches scrubbed away furiously, Stiles had plenty of time to grab an early breakfast and watch the morning fog fade as the sun rose. It was a rare sight, accompanied by another rare phenomenon. That regular ache he always felt hadn’t kicked in yet. Perhaps it had been scrubbed away too. However, as much of a relief as that lack of pain was, other things weighted up for it. The plate of leftover dinner he had eyed and gorged himself with hadn’t really made Stiles feel full, and the rays of light that crept up his body hadn’t warmed at all. There was something left to be desired, an emptiness presenting itself inside, like a hunger for something else. Somehting was also fading. Instead of feeling energized, it was as if the little energy he had left was gradually depleting. Perhaps it was fatigue, rooted in the betrayal he felt. Of course, Void had never promised anything, but Stiles had _assumed_ \- such a foolish thing to do- that Void wouldn’t. Of course, Stiles still needed him, couldn’t do things without him. This little setback- Stiles would call it ‘little’ to hide how truly betrayed he did feel- wouldn’t stop him from getting all the knowledge he needed from Void.

Stiles sighed after having sat in silence for twenty minutes, feeling the regular ache in his body come back the longer the creeping sun stayed on him. Stiles welcomed it, almost didn’t feel human without it.

Usually the ache was constant, never left no matter the amounts of sleep or rest the teen allowed himself to get. The fact that it had been stalled for some time this morning was a weird little miracle in itself, though it was also a bitter reminder of how it had been growing lately, growing just like that dark emptiness inside. It was better to feel it constantly than to be reminded of how things were without it. Stiles got up and clenched his hands into fists, tried to hold off the light tremble that always followed the ache. It wouldn’t help but trying didn’t hurt.

Stiles guessed it was time to go back to his room, time to go fix the mess that he’d gotten himself into instead of hoping for the ache and all those messed up feelings to go away once more. It had been an okay morning already, for those twenty peaceful minutes after the shower. Only one panic attack. That was an improvement from the last time the Nogitsune had been around.

Void hadn’t moved from his spot in the chair, Stiles noted upon returning to his room, so he uncapped his red marker and began writing down what he already knew, hoping the dark fox would let him think in silence a little while more. Stiles didn’t need the Nogitsune to remind him of his own rampant and traitorous imagination, or of how pissed off he actually was.

Theo’s name ended up on the board, written in big letters and circled around with red. Other names were written around on the board too, amongst pictures and lines leading nowhere. Derek’s picture was one of those, with a red line leading nowhere, his whereabouts a simple question mark. However, at least Derek’s other lines were many. Theo on the other hand, had none that Stiles could draw yet. Stiles could only stare at the name, and when nothing came to mind, when absolutely _no ideas_ sprung forth, the kitsune drawing on the far side of his board stole his attention.

The Nogitsune’s lessons from the night before hadn’t gone far, though an interesting story about how the dark foxes came to be did stick with Stiles. The lesson repeated itself in his head, distracted him, and Stiles was _just_ not furious enough to stop it. He rolled his eyes, pressing his forehead to the cold board, remembering. 

Void had explained that the very first Nogitsune had been a regular kitsune. A regular good fox, _‘a Zenko’_ who had been banished from divinity for wanting more from life, for wanting to be free to play tricks and indulge in mischief wherever they pleased. All they had wanted was to have fun, and for that reason, they were cast out, their honor taken from them and their existence always seen as a nuisance from there on. Void had said that it had driven them into wickedness, driven them into becoming something feared and hated. It was the very reason why any Nogitsune, even those who came to exist long after, were resentful towards the so-called good foxes who still had their divinity intact. It was natural to hate those that had what they didn’t, natural to hate those that had robbed their ancestor of the love and worship of humans.

Though, that did not mean that all Nogitsune wished for the love of humans, or their worship. Some Nogitsune were born from strife, while others were created from a wish to unleash pain upon enemies, humans, and other supernatural beings alike. Lastly, some were the result of great chaos, often coming to existence after a great natural catastrophe. Void hadn’t elaborated, hadn’t given Stiles the knowledge of which he was born from. Instead he had continued to another topic, which now at the memory of it churned heavily in Stiles’ stomach.

There were stories of Nogitsune, or ‘Yako’ as Void said their given name was’, that described how some of them grew fond of humans despite their differences. Stiles had heard Void’s voice hesitate as he spoke of those tales, heard him put emphasis on that these were rare incidents. Often those tales ended in tragedy too, because people could rarely forgive a dark fox for what was in its nature. If there was anything to gather from the little history lesson, Stiles guessed it had to be the fact that Void bothered to tell him at all. Void never told him things without reason, never bothered to elaborate on things that weren’t important. But it _couldn’t_ be important. It _shouldn’t_ be.

Stiles threw another glance over to the chair in the corner of his room, and despite not being able to see the dark fox, he could feel his presence still there, quiet, never stirring. He closed his eyes, swallowing thickly. Tales of Nogitsune who fell for humans, why had Void bothered to tell him those? To make him dream, to lure him in, to make him forgive when Void overstepped their boundaries?

In that case it had worked. Irritating and frustrating as it was, it worked. Stiles couldn’t forgive yet, but he was already in the process, had already tried to bury the frustration and hurt. Though, Stiles would make sure it wouldn’t work anymore. Once Stiles had done his part of the deal, and Void had done his, the teen was certain they would part again. Part away, and hopefully never see each other again. What else could they do? There was no room in Scotts pack for another murderer, no room in his pack for a defeated enemy who was still dangerous and still very much a threat. That was what Void was. A threat, _a danger_ , not… not someone to fall for.

Stiles looked up, just in time to see his bedroom door open. His dad peeked in, knocking only once. Stiles leaned away from the board quickly.

“You’re up early?” Noah said, his eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep any longer,” Stiles replied, rushing his words just a little, trying to hide the jitters running through him. “Too much to think about,” he added, not wanting to worry his dad. Stiles could tell his dad had become cautious over the last couple of days, understandably so because of his weirder than normal behavior. Luckily, no light bulbs had exploded yet. That would have been hard to explain, though not as hard as the rest of the story.

Noah gave a slight nod, not wanting to ask too much. Whatever went on in his son’s mind was often best to not think about, considering all the weird stuff he and his friends did and had to deal with. Theo’s name was evidently easy to read on the board, though as far as Noah knew, Theo was innocent.

“Usually we wait until they’ve done something before we write them up,” he gestured towards the name, curious about what Stiles knew that he didn’t.

“Well, he’s guilty of something,” Stiles replied, capping the marker in his hand.

“Do you have any proof?” Noah asked, not certain if it was just Stiles overthinking, or a real accusation. Stiles did have the tendency to hear and see things he shouldn’t, for better or for worse. Noah had to wonder which case this was. Better, or worse?

Stiles huffed, looking up towards the ceiling briefly. Evidence visible to the human eyes? Nope. Evidence visible to the supernatural eye? Nope. Evidence that only he and the Nogitsune could know of, that couldn’t be mentioned because of oh God how many reasons? Yes. He twiddled the marker between his hands, sucking his lip while pondering. The bruise he had on his lip was gone now, healed way faster than it would have in the past.

“Look, proof always trumps instinct. We gather the evidence, we talk to witnesses, review what we have and then we build our cases,” Noah explained, knowing that Stiles already knew this. A reminder couldn’t hurt, he thought, and gestured with his hand again.

“As long as there’s a little evidence. We can’t go accusing people without any evidence to show.”

Exactly at that moment, Stiles’ eyes widened. Stiles realized what was missing. He realized what was missing both in his plan, and what was new with his dad. Luckily, the flash of silver in his eyes went unnoticed, though the look of realization was obvious.

“I know what’s missing,” Stiles began, then looked to his board once again and then back to his dad quickly. “You’re not wearing your wedding ring.”

As miniscule as a detail as it was, it still said a lot. It also reminded Stiles that instead of focusing on the big picture, instead of focusing on what Theo was guilty of and how to prove it to _everyone_ , he could focus on the little things. Like for example, little illusions, little confessions, little crowds instead of big ones. All this time spent thinking of exposing Theo to everyone had blinded him, when in fact, all he had to do was expose him to just one person, _to Scott_. Scott was the first domino in this case, the first piece that had to fall.

Noah raised his eyebrows again, then squinted at his own ring-less finger. It still surprised him how attentive Stiles was to details, to how much he noticed. Noah took a moment to think, to consider the possibility that his son was right, that Theo was guilty of something, whatever it might have been.

“If you’re absolutely certain he has done something… Guilty people always slip up,” was all Noah added to the conversation, not really sure if it was right of him to do so. Taken into consideration how Stiles always found a way to do what he wanted, he guessed Stiles would try to figure out a way to prove his suspicions even if he did advise him not to.

“Now, don’t forget to go to School,” Noah said, tapping the door frame. Work waited, and he couldn’t stay around to talk much longer.

Stiles nodded, didn’t say much of a concrete bye as much as he simply hummed in response, once again at his board. Once his dad had driven to work, Stiles began to write down little steps of his new plan, the marker tip squeaking loudly as he wrote furiously. Even that amount of noise didn’t wake up Void.

* * *

Unfortunately, as much as Stiles was on fire with his plan, he had to attend school. He would probably worry Scott if he didn’t, and that was the least thing he needed. If that wasn’t a major bump on the road, the day went by slower than expected as well. ‘Uneventful’ was one of the words that kept swirling around in his mind, along with ‘a waste of time’. If only Stiles hadn’t messed up in the first place, blown the plan the previous night, then he wouldn’t have to stress so much with this new plan. Time was essential, but so was making sure the plan would work in the first place.

Stiles could not let Scott grow used to Theo. They absolutely could not become friends. Theo, with his muddy spirit and dark, hidden past, would absolutely ruin someone so pure as Scott. Which was why Stiles had chosen to place himself between the two wolves, instead of choosing his favored seat when in class.

The clock on the wall in the back ticked slowly, the dull sound slowing for every time Stiles heard it. Frantic eyes kept going over the texts in the two books he had on his desk, none of which belonged to their class, but to Japanese mythology and history. Being well informed on all of the topics the Nogitsune had covered couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t like there was anything better to do while he acted as a cock-block to Theo and Scott. The careful introduction the previous night had stuck to him like glue too, after all, and now he wanted more, needed more for the sake of his plan and sanity. If there hadn’t been a stupid limit to how many books you could borrow in one go, Stiles would have borrowed all the books in there.

However, despite his eagerness for knowledge, the books didn’t give him much more information than what Void had already covered. Of course, there were stories, examples of those Void had spoken of in greater detail, but those weren’t exactly what Stiles wanted to read about. Stiles wanted to know what kinds of illusions he could learn to cast, and what kinds of things he would have to do to make them work. Would they even work? Unsurprisingly, the books from the library contained no such information.

“What are you reading?” Theo asked, voice hushed but his smile radiant. Oh _bother._

It ripped Stiles right out of his focus. Maybe placing himself between them had been a bad idea. It did mean sitting within ‘conversation range’.

“Why do you care?” was all Stiles replied; that little bit of bite to his words at his thinning lips.

“Because this is math,” Theo gestured to the blackboard with a nod. “And I kinda suck at it. If you’re good enough at it to ignore the teacher then-”

The teacher shushed them all, though she didn’t turn around to look at who was talking. Stiles thanked her internally, feeling his nerves string tighter by the second. Hopefully, Theo would shut up now and-

“Could you help me later?” Theo asked, leaning over his desk to come closer to Stiles.

Whatever kind of attempt at buttering Stiles up this was, Stiles didn’t care. It wouldn’t work. Nope! Stiles was fully aware that Theo had suspicions, that he probably knew. Maybe his plan was to get Stiles alone, to take him out like that. It wasn’t going to happen.

“I have plans already.” Stiles didn’t look at Theo, didn’t give him the privilege of his undivided attention. Scott was looking over at them, his face lit up with some kind of puppy-excitement. Oh God, no. Scott didn’t think they were chatting and on the way to becoming _friends_ , did he? Stiles grimaced at Scott, sure to get that little unspoken bite to it to show.

Theo left him alone at that, seeming to understand the rejection without having to be told twice. Scott just looked disappointed, slumped over even. Whatever, it was for the best! No befriending of Theo would happen on Stiles’ watch! Stiles buried himself in the books after that, now wanting to make it as obvious as possible that he didn’t want to be spoken to.

The sound of the clock ticking away behind him gradually grew louder again, along with the sound of pages turning, students breathing, chalk meeting the blackboard and breaking. God. Going to school had been a mistake. Stiles couldn’t focus like this, couldn’t think properly when the jitters and that growing hunger he’d felt all morning kept coming back and Theo was _right there_ to annoy and frustrate the hell out of him. He was just waiting for it to be over, his leg beginning to tap against the floor and his fingers tapping away at the edge of the book.

Scott threw him a fair amount of glances the closer the clock ticked to twelve, and Stiles had to remind himself to be more aware of his own actions. There was no doubt that everyone knew he was paranoid and a bit of a spaz, but these were ‘possessed by the Nogitsune’ level jitters, similar to those only a sleep deprived, prescription-amphetamine-drug-using teenager could reach. Kira, Malia, and Lydia had chalked Stiles’ weirdness levels up to the growing number of weird things happening, but Scott… Scott was beginning to see through that, to Stiles’ dismay. Stiles needed Scott to trust him, not suspect him of something.

A twitch of his gradually more and more fidgety hands was replaced by a subtle scratch at his neck, which still tickled at times, and Stiles made sure to at least try to stop jiggling his leg. Stiles didn’t want to trigger any painful memories in his best friend, and as aware of all of their monitoring as he was, Scott’s especially, it was easy tell when he was being watched. And he _was_ being watched. _Constantly_. That prickly jab that signaled that eyes were staring holes in his sides was too much. Fuck. Would Scott just stop it already!? Stiles threw a glare in his direction, and Scott almost jumped out of his seat. Theo did too.

Okay. Maybe Stiles shouldn’t have come. He definitely shouldn’t have come. This was bound to become a disaster.

 _“Oh, they won’t notice,”_ Void told him sarcastically. He materialized besides the teen, resting his hands on his desk, leaning over him with tired eyes piercing through him. The stare was ignored. The lack of reaction from anyone else in the room proved to Stiles that the Nogitsune was invisible to everyone else, that things were good. _Good_. No wait, _not good_. Stiles couldn’t deal with this.

 _“If you just stop looking like you just heard there was a bomb under your desk.”_ The fox hissed. 

Stiles had to pretend to write something down to avoid looking. Void was really pushing his luck, appearing right next to him like this at school, after everything. It was an immense amount of pressure to put on Stiles, too. What was he thinking? Stiles had _so_ many questions.

 _“Let me remind you, I can’t really exist outside a certain range from you… and I’m bored, Stiles. Did we ever get to skip class properly together?”_ the Nogitsune wondered to himself more than he was actively asking Stiles a question. The fox knew he couldn’t answer verbally, and writing out an answer would look suspicious if someone caught him…

 _‘No, we did not’_ Stiles wrote at the top of his notebook, against any better judgement. The memories that pushed their way into Stiles’ mind replayed for him a couple of times. Oftentimes during the possession, they had gone out of their way to break rules, to be rebellious. It had been some of the fewer times Stiles and the Nogitsune had been on the same page back then. They both wanted to be a bit rebellious, wanted to simply be free. It had given Stiles a little bit of an understanding of the dark spirit, and now it served as one of the few things he knew about the Nogitsune as a person. Void liked harmless fun too, and wasn’t always yearning for murder. It was also something Void was making him remember, probably because he could tell how pissed Stiles really was, and as a distraction as to not make him blow their secret. It wouldn’t work. It definitely, absolutely, surely would not-

 _“Maybe we should skip class, Stiles. Take a risk.”_ The Nogitsune whispered with a tone that carried his smirk so well. Stiles was about to shake his head, wanted to tell him no, to tell him to go disappear into the shadows like he usually did, but he was interrupted by the Nogitsune’s ever so ghostly hands suddenly touching his upper arms.

It was such a cold, possessive touch, intimate and frightening at the same time. Stiles could see Void glaring at the two wolves to either side of him as he leaned in- as if shielding Stiles from their sight. But, as much as it was a shield from prying eyes, it was also an enveloping darkness, there to take Stiles’ attention away.

Stiles swallowed, his skin prickling with something electrical. The dream- the hands… rough palms. Stiles shut his eyes briefly, did everything in his power to not look as Void sank in closer behind him. Then the fox started rubbing, those rough palms tracing up and down sensitive skin, from the shoulders and down to the elbows, and finally all the way to the wrists, gripping them. More memories came rushing. The piece of paper Stiles had his hand on crumpled under his tightening grip. Fuck. He’d have to apologize about that to the librarian.

 _“You’re itching for something...”_ The dark fox continued, his voice lowering to a seductive, deep tone. _“Take a risk with me, Stiles. Sneak out of class.”_

Stiles bit his bottom lip at the suggestion, a chill going down his spine and back up again, tickling his neck. Hadn’t the Nogitsune talked exactly like this in his dream, seductively, his lips ghosting against the shell of his ear? For a moment, the lights in the classroom surged, then their electrical pulse began to match Stiles’ rising heartbeat. Rising, quickening, becoming unbearably loud. Stiles closed his eyes again and gripped the book tighter, tilting his head just a little away- an insignificant amount, hadn’t he been observed by his watchful friend and another pair of evil eyes.

 _‘No, I can’t. They’ll see me go.’_ Stiles thought. The lights calmed down, as did his heartbeat. When Stiles opened his eyes again it was as if the lights had never flickered at all, and the Nogitsune’s darkness was gone. He turned to look at Scott, searching his friend for any telling reactions. The alpha just raised his eyebrows, faking obliviousness. Theo, however, had a smile that was just a little too wide to not be unsettling. Oh, fuck it. Scott would survive one day without Stiles.

The bells rang, signaling it was lunch time, and Stiles was out of there. He had barely gotten into his car before the Nogitsune appeared in his back seat, his eyebrows raised, eyelids heavy, and his lips curled into that knowing, lazy smirk.

“You are going to kill me one day,” Stiles hissed at him, turning around to face the spirit. “Sexually harassing me in class!?”

 _“I’ve seen your dreams… a bit of arm rubbing hardly counts as anything sexual,”_ the fox shrugged. _“Come on. We’re going on a trip,”_ Void followed up, patting Stiles’ duffle bag next to him. It looked like Void had packed Stiles’ things for a camping trip, and Stiles paused for a minute to understand how his bag had gotten there and secondly, to try to figure out if he was offended at the dream comment or not.

“Excuse me, what? Did you steal my bag?” Stiles leaned further back, reaching for his bag. He wanted to see what was inside. The bag was absolutely bulging with things. He was met by the Nogitsune’s arm blocking him.

 _“You’re becoming restless, enough so to alert your daft best friend that you’re up to something. And placing yourself right next to the enemy? Oh, bad move… Stiles.”_ Void cocked his head as he spoke, not caring to soften the blows.

 _“You should know better. You were as easy to read as an open book. And to make it all better, Scott’s watching you. He’s probably planning to follow you. So, you’re going to sit back, drive out of here and lose him,”_ The Nogitsune continued, pointing out the fact with a snarl.

Stiles turned around quickly, gaping. As obviously as the sky was blue, there Scott was, sitting on his bike all suspiciously, _watching_. God, Stiles had to teach him how to stalk someone less obviously.

“Did he hear us?” Stiles whispered, sinking into his seat.

_“No. Start driving.”_

“Fine.” Stiles said vehemently, faking a smile as he suddenly waved at his friend and started up his engine. Scott’s eyes widened and clumsy hands fumbled with the helmet in his arms when he realized he had been caught. The helmet jumped out of the alpha’s arms, out onto the road…a passing car knocked the thing out of the park. A spectacular homerun if Stiles had ever seen one, though sure to be expensive. All Stiles could do was wince with sympathy as he easily drove off from the scene, with Scott nowhere close to behind.

“Amateur.” He mumbled. God, and everyone saw _him_ as the clumsy one in the group?

 _“You nearly hit another car when you were stalking Theo yesterday.”_ The Nogitsune said, as if telling Stiles to not get cocky. The jabs were becoming a bit too frequent, Stiles noted with a sigh.

“Well, Theo is- he’s distracting and evil. I had to keep my eyes on him. And where are we going?” Stiles had to ask. He couldn’t focus on one thing at a time, bottling so much up at the same time. Furthermore, he didn’t know if to tell Void that he actually had plans, which were plans to make a plan. Wow, how complicated. If this little trip had nothing to do with what he wanted to know-

 _“From what I recall from your driving lessons book, the driver watches the road,”_ the Nogitsune retorted, leaning forwards to rest his arm on Stiles’ seat. His smirk grew into a cocky grin.

Stiles gaped again, then groaned, fastening his eyes to the road out of spite. It was infuriating when other people had perfect comebacks, let alone when the Nogitsune was the voice of certain levels of reason. Stiles’ tongue flicked over his bottom lip, then he sucked in some air.

“Then you already know you should put on your seatbelts, like all the other _kids_ who sit in the backseat.”

It just slipped. A tiny bit of bottled up frustration. Just a _little_ taste of _so much_.

Dead silence. For a moment Stiles felt victorious and cocked his eyebrows as he threw a glance back to Void through the mirror. Though, the comment was _obviously_ not well received, and the Nogitsune’s grin faded immediately, quickly replaced by a growing sneer. It earned Stiles a hard slap against the back of his head, then another command. 

_“Shut up.”_

Stiles barely kept the anger underneath, drowned it as best he could, held it under until he thought it was dead.

The Nogitsune gave Stiles directions from there on but said nothing else, not giving him as much as a peep of information on where they were going. It was likely up there on the list of the most awkward situations Stiles had been in yet, stuck driving to an unknown location with perhaps _the most_ hostile passenger in history. They drove in silence for what felt like an hour, paved roads turning into dirt roads, leading away from the city and into the woods. It was around that time Stiles began to notice a slight smoky scent, and he groaned deeply. No. not now, for fucks sake.

 _“Keep driving. We’re almost there,”_ Void said, placing his hand on Stiles’ shoulder.

“What? No, the jeep might literally catch on fire if I do,” Stiles replied, shrugging the hand away. He changed the gears, already in the process of turning over towards the side of the road. Upon first glance it seemed like they were slowing down, then the engine started sounding like it was overflowing. The sound of the pedal meeting the floor made Stiles jerk. They began to accelerate, quickly.

 _“If you won’t do as I say,”_ Void said expressionlessly, making it clear he was the culprit.

“For fucks sake!” Stiles had to change gears to accommodate the speed they were gaining and steered away from the ditch, his hands desperately clutching the steering wheel. Once stable on the road again, he could practically feel his heart wanting to leap out of his chest- from frustration.

“Don’t you ever-”

Void barely looked like he cared, barely minded Stiles’ five-minute rant about manhandling his car, though that smirk soon came back and Stiles had to give up, had to stifle the rage yet again. That five-minute rant hadn’t even been the tip of the iceberg.

It was payback for calling him a child, as childish as it sounded, and Stiles knew it. Instead of getting hung up on the matter, Stiles wanted to ask where they were going instead, and if they were going much farther. The Jeep could hardly manage for another ten minutes. Anything to distract from the emotions threatening to boil over.

Void said they were there soon, but Stiles had so many questions, like where was _there?_ What was in the bag? What would they use those things for? Were they staying the night wherever they were going? Far too many questions swirled around in his mind, and Stiles almost missed it when Void said to take a left turn. He blinked, and Void repeated himself. _‘left’_. There was just one problem.

“But there’s no road.”

 _“You have to turn now, or you’ll miss it,”_ the Nogitsune raised his voice slightly, leaning forwards.

“I won’t drive us off the road!” Stiles complained, locking his hands on the steering wheel. He was not letting the Nogitsune manhandle his car again. Absolutely no way in-

 _“You’ll be fine,”_ The Nogitsune leaned forwards, slapped his right hand onto the steering wheel, and _pulled_. He easily ripped the wheel over to the left, out of Stiles’ grip. And, left they went.

Stiles screamed, closed his eyes, and covered his face as the car went off road with a loud crash. Oh god- that couldn’t have been good for the bumpers, or the underside, or any of the parts! That could hardly have been good for anything!

“What are you doing!?” Stiles cowered in his seat as he saw a huge boulder up ahead, took his foot off the gas, and stepped on the brakes hard. Technically, that should have done the trick, but the pedals were unmovable and yet moving on their own free will. Stiles almost fainted amidst his own screaming, having given up on the battle for control. This would be his last crash, he was sure.

 _“This thing steers like a headless mule,”_ the Nogitsune remarked, his face scrunching up a bit as he only just avoided the boulder, the wheels on one side losing contact with the ground as they turned. Branches, leaves and all sorts of forest materials hit the windshield the further in they drove. The dark fox didn’t stop until he saw what he was looking for.

 _“There”_ he said to himself. A fairly circle, otherwise known as a ring of mushrooms, glowed in the rapidly approaching clearing ahead of them. The circle was huge, big enough to fit at least a couple of cars inside, which was exactly what Void had planned to do. He made the brakes hit the floor abruptly once inside of the ring. The jeep screeched, lunging forwards at the sudden stop, and Stiles screamed again. It sent the teen forwards, the seatbelt snapping at that, and Stiles could have sworn he saw his life pass before him. However, instead of fragile face meeting glass, his chest met the Nogitsune’s steady hand.

Stiles gulped once he realized they had stopped, that he hadn’t faced the front, that he hadn’t _died_. His heart continued to race still, pushing hard against his ribcage, beating so painfully loud. The teen fumbled to get the ruined seatbelt off of himself, all while he eyed Void as if he was the greatest evil on earth. The dark fox just looked at him with lazy eyes, felt every heartbeat and every ounce of pure fright. Black started to travel up Void’s hand, and Stiles whimpered. All the fright drained away, leaving nothing but a false sense of calm.

“Never do that again.” Stiles exhaled, trembling. Something was close to overflowing.

_“I caught you.”_

“You’re also the reason the seatbelt snapped in the first place!” he bit out, waving his finger at Void.

Stiles stepped out of the jeep at that, stumbling forwards on shaky legs, and slammed the door shut violently. Sweet, sweet ground, oh how he had missed that. The temptation to bend down and hug some moss was almost unbearable. Almost. He managed to at least compose himself enough to not do it and turned to face Void. He hadn’t heard him step out, though that wasn’t surprising anymore.

“Please tell me why we’re parked in the middle of a damn fairy circle,” Stiles gestured at the circle and then placed his hands on his knees, bent over, exasperated. His heart was still racing, and it wasn’t looking to be slowing down any time soon, despite the Nogitsune sapping away most of his fear. It appeared that adrenaline couldn’t be taken away- nor that building and suffocating rage. The Nogitsune ignored him, not bothered by the intense stare given, and went to get the bag.

The inside of the fairy ring was mostly wilted grass and dead leaves, as opposed to the surrounding areas that were lush with green and healthy plants, despite autumn having set in weeks ago. It seemed to be a thriving, age old forest, so old moss grew on the branches and so untouched no human interference showed. Save for the little clearing with the fairy circle, the forest seemed to be thick and dark, endless. It gave of a strange feeling, like it was a secluded place, cut off from the rest of the world. It was hard to believe there was a road just a couple of hundred meters away.

Void walked more carefully than Stiles, avoiding stepping on any of the mushrooms at the edge of the circle, not wanting to hurt it more than necessary. A raven cawed in the distance, along with a murder of crows closer by. They easily broke the silence between the two, and Stiles began to wonder if he would ever get an answer. He threw his hands out, at least feeling inclined to some kind of explanation. The Nogitsune simply rolled his eyes, unfazed. As soon as he stepped outside the fairy ring, the forest seemed to go quiet. Deathly silent. Even Stiles noticed it, and he grew quiet himself, squinting at the fox.

Nature usually knew when something of great power had arrived, or when evil lurked. The Nogitsune would take this as a good sign. Nature still recognized him as what he truly was- a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps it would learn to recognize Stiles for what he truly was too, with time.

 _“The great fairies that made this circle ceased to exist years ago, yet the magic inside of it stays strong. With such lingering power, one can do many things. You could even hide the presence of a human being,”_ Void explained. He handed Stiles the bag, not impressed with his little gasp as the heavily packed bag seemed to bring him down to the forest floor. Void walked over to a large pine tree, placing himself there. 

Stiles fumbled a little, standing up again with the bag at his feet. The thing must have weighed a ton. Okay, not a ton, but damn near so.

“So that’s your plan? You’re going to hide me from my friends here?...” Stiles’ suspicions began to grow. These were the perfect conditions for murder. Far away from people, from his home, in the middle of a forest and a magic fairy circle that could hide all evidence of his existence.

_“Not in the way you think, little kit. Everyone’s suspicious of you. The circle, given the right kind of energy, will make people forget about you- just for a little while. And you’ll need it because you don’t want to get caught.”_

As if knowing Stiles would ask how, the Nogitsune closed his eyes and demonstrated. He snapped his finger, that sharp sound ringing loudly in the forest. Something magical and eerie began to kick up in a growing gust of wind, and Stiles shied away as the wind kept picking up into a raging whirlwind of leaves and pine needles. He backed away from the circle, which the winds now seemed to be coming from. The center of the circle glowed brighter, purple, and then the mushrooms wilted. The Nogitsune hadn’t spoken a single word, but the word ‘hidden’ rang in Stiles’ mind. Then, once the word died down, the winds stopped, and the jeep and its tire tracks vanished.

Stiles exhaled tiredly, then laughed. He had no idea what had happened but turned to look at the Nogitsune as if wanting to ask how he did it. The jeep was gone, as if it had vanished into thin air. This was _exactly_ what he had been waiting for: magic! At least he would be getting _something_ good out of this trip.

 _“When I had a physical body, I could hide entire an entire parking lot filled with cars if I wanted to…”_ The dark fox began, pushing away from the pine tree. He walked over to Stiles, then came to a halt in front of him. Standing taller than the teen, he looked down at Stiles and into those wide, hazel brown eyes filled with amazement and wonder. Void paused, his eyes glowing silver as they shared a look, his expression turning into something softer for a moment. Blink and you’d miss it. The dark fox then averted his eyes, his mouth agape, showing sharp teeth as he sucked in some air.

 _“Now I rely on other sources of power, like this old fairy circle, to help me do this little trick,”_ he continued, shutting his mouth soon after. His lips grew thin as they pressed together tightly, and his jaw tightened too. 

Stiles nodded along, not seeming to care about the power demotion. What mattered to him was that the Nogitsune could still do something of such a large scale, such as hide a car. The fact that Void knew how to make cars vanish was amazing in itself, but people too? It was every bit as exciting as it awe inspiring.

 _“I understand you’re eager to learn how… eager to weaponize it…”_ Void read him like an open book, not amused by the eager look on his face. As much as the trick had been a demonstration of power it had also been a demonstration of Void’s current lack of it.

“ _It won’t be easy,”_ Void assured him, leaning in face to face with Stiles. Silvery eyes glowed intensely, and sharp teeth only seemed to grow sharper and sharper. Intimidating as it was, it made Stiles gulp, made him freeze in place even though the urge to secure more than an inch of space between them was strong.

Stiles understood that it wouldn’t be easy, he had never thought it would be. In fact, he’d considered the possibility of blood sacrifices and rituals being a necessary step for any kind of magic to happen from his part at all. It was still a bit too early to rule that possibility out, too. He lowered his gaze, looking to the side. Whatever needed to be done for the plan to work had to be done, and there would be no way around it. Stiles had already made up his mind about this.

“I understand.” His gaze flickered up to the Nogitsune’s again, those hazel brown eyes filled with determination.

A weak puff of air met his face, then the Nogitsune’s mocking laugh followed. It was such an emotionless, dry laugh, carrying the lack of belief Void had in his statement. It was concerning, in many ways, concerning and infuriating.

 _“Oh, you don’t understand,”_ Void said, his eyebrows furrowing as he did. _“You’re under the impression that the first stage to mastering our kind of power is to learn how to be in control of it.”_ His lips tightened into a sneer and he inched closer. Now their noses were almost touching, and Stiles gaped. The lecture was winding up to becoming something intimidating, like a brewing storm in the distance.

Stiles jumped back when Void suddenly began to peel off his jacket, the action too sudden for his current levels of nerves. It earned him a scoff, the tension rising in the stifling, heavy air. A snarl followed as the jacket fell to the ground somewhere in the background, disappearing into smoke once it met the forest floor. Then, Void began to roll his wrist, his hand clenching and realxing again. Toned muscles flexed under darkening skin, the shade of night spreading up to his elbows. The dark, razor-sharp claws that had threatened to break Stiles’ skin the very same night came out.

_“We’re going to have to awaken something, Stiles. Unleash something.”_

Stiles hadn’t seen this form before, not in real life. Sometimes the Nogitsune would take a more foxlike appearance in his dreams, though Stiles had always thought it to be a fragment of his own imagination. Although, as much as it was a sight to behold, it was also something to be cautious of. The snarl felt nothing short of hostile, like a threat, and Stiles couldn’t be so certain that Void wouldn’t hurt him. He’d never heard the fox promise otherwise, and Stiles had never asked him to promise something of the sort either. The overstepped boundaries were fresh in mind, too.

_“The first stage is to let go of the control you think you have, Stiles.”_

_Control_? When it came to being a werewolf or any other shape shifting supernatural being, control was always one of the most valued skills. Control was essential, they said. It could be the difference between life and death, and Stiles and his friends were far too aware of the fact. Yet, Stiles was sure as hell he hadn’t had anything like _control_ in ages. There was a reason most of their enemies saw him as the helpless one, never _bothered_ with him unless he had some sort of incriminating evidence against them. This morning, Stiles had felt so far away from control as could be- felt helpless, like a toy.

The Nogitsune told him to focus on everything surrounding them, to close his eyes, beginning to circle Stiles as he spoke up. Stiles snapped out of his trail of thoughts, reminding himself to keep facing his direction, pushed that feeling of betrayal away.

That silent walk of Void’s barely made the leaves rustle, barely made the ground shift. Stiles did as told and closed his eyes for better focus, hoping for his own sake that he would hear Void if he chose to attack in any way. Stiles would be ready to resist, to shut him out if he tried to posses him.

The sound of trees rustling in the light wind, the sound of distant birds, even the occasional cry of a fox far, far away, not to mention the deafening sound of his own shoes crushing dry leaves underneath them… those things were easily louder than the Nogitsune’s fox steps. Stiles could hear it all, just like in the classrooms when it felt like a sensory overload was on the way. Had he been _just_ a human, many of those sounds would have fallen to deaf ears. The memory of regular senses was not hard to recall, and easily proved the difference between human and supernatural senses.

The Nogitsune hummed, the light rumble to his voice pressing against it. He stepped behind Stiles, ever so light on his feet. The teen didn’t hear him approach from that direction, not before a leaf crunched. He twirled around and opened an eye, confirming that the Nogitsune was standing there, a couple of meters away. Further away than it sounded, but closer than wanted. Letting go of control he didn’t have was one thing but focusing when it felt like he was getting stalked like prey was another thing completely.

 _“What? Can’t let go?”_ Void teased.

 _That_ sounded like a challenge. Stiles huffed, clenching his shaky hands in response. The energy that always buzzed began to vibrate violently, responding to his rising pulse. How exactly would he let go? How would he focus with the Nogitsune breathing down his neck, teasing him with every opportunity, toying with him? It wasn’t like he was actually in control of anything. The Nogitsune was the one with his hands on the reins, and the dark spirit was easily making that known.

 _“Are you even trying?”_ Void asked, feigning curiosity.

Stiles licked his bottom lip and his eyebrows furrowed. Nails dug into skin, into searing hot flesh. Stiles tried to stifle the frustration that was threatening to flow over, tried to distract himself by inflicting some pain to himself. He wouldn’t fall to Void’s taunts, wouldn’t let himself lose composure. It was embarrassing enough that everyone he knew and every enemy they made could tell what he felt at all times. It was embarrassing that everyone knew, despite his ever so desperate attempts to hide it.

The Nogitsune rolled his eyes, eventually blinking. Nothing was happening, save for a bird taking flight in the distance. He scoffed again, tapping his fingers, and Stiles could practically feel the frustration he held so close flare up.

 _“You’re trying to control it,”_ Void remarked. 

Stiles huffed, then sucked his bottom lip. Fucking hell. Void was right. He _was_ trying to control it- _it_ being his emotions, and not the situation. Stiles kept tightening his grip, kept digging his nails into his palms. Imagining yourself losing control was, predictably, not easy. What did that look like, exactly? Stiles had to wonder. Would it mean going around killing people? Did it mean to let himself say all the hurtful things he wanted to say, loudly, right to Void’s face? Because Stiles had a lot of things he wanted to say, yell even, to the dark fox.

 _“Are you just going to stand there all day?”_ Void had circled him again.

The frustration finally overflowed, and Stiles groaned loudly and threw himself around to glare at Void.

“You’re not helping!”

 _“And? What will you do about it?”_ Void laughed, _again_.

That, amongst with all the other enraging things Void had done up to that point, was the last straw. Stiles squinted at Void until his jaw became tight and his teeth clacked together with strain. Blood dripped from his palms, down onto the ground, the hot liquid steaming in the cold air. His chest rose, then fell, his breath heavy.

How many times had Stiles felt helpless, felt useless and worthless? Sour heat rose in his chest, so slow at first, like the smoke of a candle flame searing a hole through a paper, and then it caught fire.

Stiles was just about to lunge when it struck him.

Pain, the first thing that followed after the heat set in, spread through Stiles’ body like a shockwave. That ache he always felt was replaced by something so violent and raw, it made him drop to his knees and gasp. Bloody palms grasped at the mossy ground and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. Yet Stiles didn’t cry out, held it in with a shaky whimper. He was still trying to fight it, still trying to control the inevitable and frightening flood of emotions, but it was useless. It had begun. 

Ever since the Nogitsune had split them apart, Stiles had been in pain. This, however, was the worst he had felt since that day. It hadn’t faded like he had told his friends; he had just grown used to it, eventually thinking of it only as a hindrance, but now it spread through him, searing hot and _excruciating_.

Void came closer, and there came the anxiety. The ugly, ever so distracting, and never at all helpful emotion was crushing at times, and so, so _humiliating_. Why did he have to feel scared of crowds, of loneliness, of simple social interactions- and of Void? Why did his pulse have to spike at the simplest confrontation, and why did he always have to assume the worst? Why did his friends have to know that he felt this way? Why did simple dreams have to make him feel so strongly? It wasn’t fair. It was irrational. It was enough to make him want to cry out.

So, he did. The scream was pained, guttural, so laced with pain it was unmistakably coming from the very depths of his core. Tears flowed. Stiles let all the feelings that had built up inside of him for so long spring free. It was like a floodgate opening, so much pain, anxiety, and frustration just flowing out.

The forest darkened, shades of night and dark magic spreading throughout it. The winds began to pick up, and gradually whipped up into a roaring storm. That was what it felt like. Like a storm. He always felt like there was a storm brewing deep inside, raging to get out, begging to be unleashed. Just like Void’s roars those times he wouldn’t let him in, the roar from inside was frightening. Stiles inhaled sharply, his breath hitching as he did, then he let out a broken sob. Frightening or not, this was what it felt like. There was no use in trying to hide it anymore, no use in trying to control it. Allowing himself to feel, it was like letting go of all the control he had, and it felt so _good_. Tears continued to slide down his cheeks, but they were quickly licked away by whisking winds.

Stiles’ bloody hands were now black, the shade of night spreading all the way up to his elbows. Then, there were the claws. They were dark as well, curved, slim, and razor-sharp. They’d never been used before and oh, how beautiful and dangerous they looked. The light tremble to his hands was gone, and Stiles picked himself up from the ground to look at them in disbelief.

This was not what he had expected, not what he had wanted, but it felt every bit as right; just as much as it had felt wrong when the Nogitsune had split them apart. Stiles looked up from his hands, walking circles around himself. The little storm raging around them was his doing, connected to _his_ emotions. It was a lot, too much to get used to so soon, but not entirely unwanted. That buzzing energy that always flowed through irked veins seemed to settle in, get snug, finally found the right flow. Things finally felt right.

Void didn’t make a sound, but a new kind of smirk showed on his face, one that wasn’t heartless. He approached Stiles, stepped into the whirlwinds with leisurely, quiet steps. The dark fox’s slicked back hair began to untangle in the strong wind, though the closer he came, the weaker the winds became. His silvery eyes gleamed with somehting unfamiliar, somehting genuine.

_“Now that you know what it feels like to let go, can you deny someone else of doing the same?”_

Stiles looked at the dark fox, his eyes glossy from the tears. Their eyes met, and when Stiles expected to meet the look of someone who wanted to justify their past actions, he was instead met with the look of someone who _knew._ The Nogitsune knew what it was like to bottle everything up inside, knew how bad it felt to never let anything out. Trapped for so many years, there was no wonder he had wanted to unleash chaos on everything.

Stiles sniffled, bringing up his arm to wipe away the tears. The sleeve on the blue hoodie smudged with wet tears. Sympathy. Fuck. Stiles hadn’t thought he’d see that; however it shouldn’t have taken him so off guard. The winds died down when Stiles turned around to hide his face into the collar of his hoodie.

Void came to stand next to him, his black shoes bumping into Stiles’ grey sneakers as he stood by his side. That cool air he brought with him was refreshing, a stark contrast to the searing hot tears. Leaves that had been kicked up with the winds were slowly falling around them.

Neither of them broke the silence, until Void sucked on his own lip. He placed his hand on Stiles’ shoulder, dark fingers rubbing into trembling muscles. The claws, as long and sharp as they were, could easily have dug in too, but Void was watchful of them. Stiles didn’t flinch away, and instead he leaned into the calming touch, sighing loudly. It was as if somehting he had been missing for so long was finally back.

It was strange. He’d been so pissed at Void, but now… his back meet with the Nogitsune’s chest. For once, the Nogitsune didn’t tease, and Stiles was content with that. It had to mean something. _It meant everything_.

“Is it going to feel like this every time?” Stiles asked, his voice raspy.

_“It is. The difference between us is just that I have a thousand years of experience, and you, just five minutes.”_

Stiles gazed at the dark fox, understanding now why the fox had chosen to take him elsewhere for this. Had he unleashed all of that at home or nearby friends, people would undoubtedly have figured him out. He had been a ticking bomb, for fucks sake. Vanishing from everyone’s mind for a day had been a good strategy from Void’s side.

The latter sighed and pulled Stiles in for an embrace. It was the sentiment behind it that made Stiles accept it, and even made him lean further in. False warmth, replaced by real cold, it spread through the trembling teen. Stiles eventually turned around completely, wrapped his own clawed hands around the Nogitsune’s waist, and buried his tearful face into that familiar crook of his neck. There was a heartbeat, Void’s, and it ran quicker than normal. If it was an illusion, it was a kind one.

* * *

_“So, what is the plan this time?”_

The day had since long stretched into the evening, and finally into the silent night. The moon, waning crescent, was low and yellow up on the autumn sky. A heavy fog was creeping in.

Stiles looked towards Void, relying on the faint light from the moon to see his expression instead of on the flashlight he had in his mouth. The light of the flashlight was pointed down under the hood of the jeep, illuminating several patchworks and problems that were currently being worked on. Stiles rolled the flashlight into his left hand, his right one wrapped around a wrench.

Their lessons were over for the day, and Stiles was taking the free time to fix things he should have fixed a long time ago. Summoning the jeep back had barely been a problem, considering how dear it was to the teen. It also turned out Void had packed all of the tools they owned. So much for worrying about what was in the bag. Everything, the teasing and pushing, the manhandling of the jeep, had been to tip him over the edge. Void had planned it all.

“Well. You’re probably going to like it,” Stiles said with a playful grin, twisting a bolt. “it involves illusions.”

 _“Oh, really now? Those you can barely create yet?”_ Void turned towards Stiles with his eyebrows raised, his frame leaning against the jeep’s front. The teen’s biggest accomplishment of the day had been that he had been able to make a crow sound like a fox. A fun incident, considering Stiles had startled himself in the process. A fox’s cry could be rather haunting and shrill.

“Ha-ha- I’m not going to rely completely on it,” Stiles laughed dryly. He tapped his fingers against the flashlight, that energy that usually buzzed through his hands gone- spent after all the lessons of the day. He was completely empty now, the fumes gone. They had gone through a lot, spells, illusions, even transformation. Stiles couldn’t say he had felt very good at any of the things, but the lessons hadn’t been wasted.

Apparently, the foxlike form they could shift into was one closer to a Nogitsune’s real appearance, craved less energy too and gave a lot more to work with, power-wise. It was their answer for a werewolf’s form, though Void was sure to explain how it wouldn’t be necessary to use if they were smart. Void had never used it when they had shared a body, nor had he expected Stiles to be able to use it either, as the limits of a half-human half-Nogitsune weren’t exactly well documented. The constant teasing and pushing had been more to awaken Stiles’ emotions, which were what their kind’s power relied on.

“The plan is to get under Theo’s skin. We’re going to terrify him- then make him confess.” Stiles stuck his tongue out as he twisted a particularly hard to get bolt, and the car’s front lights lit up suddenly. Oh, that was unexpected. He looked at Void again, who seemed to have been the reason for the sudden lightshow. The Nogitsune’s eyes were wide.

_“Daring… do continue.”_

Well, it wasn’t as much of a fleshed-out plan as Stiles wanted it to be, but it was at least something. What he did know about Theo, something to pin him by, was the fact that he wore the kind of soap that would make it difficult for other supernatural creatures to smell his real emotions. That meant he had emotions he wanted to hide. He wasn’t emotionless.

Scott didn’t know about it, and if Stiles knew his friend right, Scott would be interested in this little bit of information. No one would use a soap that hid their scent unless they had something to hide. The pieces were starting to fall into place.

Stiles licked his lips, tasting something on the tip of his tongue, something akin to excitement.

“Everyone’s scared of something.” That had to be true. Everyone, no matter how fucked up or emotionless, was afraid of something. Figuring out what Theo’s biggest fear was would be difficult, and the only really big bump in the road, but Stiles was certain there was something there he could use. Void had figured out his greatest fear so easily back when they were one, and Stiles was certain he could figure out Theo’s.

 _“You intend to show him something so gruesome he’ll answer anything you ask?”_ Void smirked. Perhaps he had underestimated the kit’s guts and determination. This newfound intensity and daring spirit was intriguing.

“I do, but I have yet to figure out his biggest fear. When we were kids, Theo was normal. He used to be afraid of narrow spaces, of being trapped in the dark and all… you know? But he’s different now. I’m pretty sure making him feel trapped won’t make him confess anything,” Stiles explained. He closed the hood of the jeep and tossed the flashlight into his bag, then placed his hands on top of the hood, leaning on it. His arms and sleeves were greasy with oil, a little bit of blood here and there staining the dark blue hoodie, though otherwise fine. There was a smudge of oil on his cheek, stretching from his brow and down.

“I also need to figure out how to make Scott think everything is normal when Theo confesses, because… Scott has to be there when it happens.”

Void hummed at that, rubbing his pale lips. The plan was tempting, an opportunity to let loose… though it relied too much on Stiles knowing how to do all of the things necessary for it to work, not to mention the risks. The Nogitsune glanced away, thinking of Scott, the alpha who was both a friend to Stiles and an enemy. A friend… to Stiles, but also the one who suspected him the most. Void squinted, his claws slowly growing in. That bruise on Stile’s chest, which he had silently taken care of and never bothered to mention after, it had come from _him_. Void had figured that much, put the pieces together. It had happened when Scott had pushed Stiles up against the lockers to keep him calm. The bruise lingered because it was from an alpha. A low growl rumbled at the back of Void’s throat, though Stiles didn’t hear it. He wasn’t focusing.

“Will you help?” Stiles asked, glancing up at Void. He didn’t hesitate to ask, didn’t think that seeking Void’s help was as dangerous anymore. The dark fox had so many opportunities to take advantage of him throughout the day and had never once taken them. It was proof enough that Stiles could allow himself to trust him at least a little bit again.

Void’s dark, shadowy hair glistered with purple under the moonlight, and his eyes glowed especially intense. The dark fox had showed time and time again throughout the evening that he could be relied on, somewhat. Catching Stiles when he grew fain from overusing magic, steadying his hands, being a guiding light… or darkness depending on how you saw it. Void had done that.

All that pushing, teasing, it had been for a reason, and it had been exactly what Stiles had needed. And, that hug hadn’t been for nothing either. It hadn’t felt wrong, hadn’t made anxiety swell up inside or made shame spread. Stiles couldn’t imagine it was some part of a trick, it hadn’t felt like it. It didn’t cover up what Void had done that night, but it was just enough to get Stiles there again, to get him back to that trusting state. It got Stiles to where he _wanted_ to be. Frightening as the realization should have been, it wasn’t, and instead it tinted his cheeks red.

All the fresh air must have gotten to his head. Even if it hadn’t felt wrong, that didn’t mean it wasn’t wrong. Stiles’ moral compass _was_ running around in circles these days, the needle almost rendered broken and useless. There was no repairing it either, of course. All he could do was at least try to minimize the damage before it would break completely. Just this one evil plan, and getting Void his body, and then he would go right back to being a decent human being. There was no room for-

_“You’re not even going to listen to my answer before you start thinking of other things?”_

-for romance with evil. 

“What?” Stiles asked, blinking twice. He’d gone completely off track; his mind having wandered elsewhere. Curse his lack of ability to focus.

Void leaned back some more, shifting to sit on top of the hood of the jeep. All the training and all the thing Stiles had tried out had served to fuel him a little bit. Void had definitely not passed up the opportunity to feed on some pain here and there when Stiles messed up, drank it in like a long needed, refreshing drink. However, running on so little was aggravating. A craving- ever so present, grew.

Stiles watched as Void’s clawed hand scraped the paint of the jeep, all while he stared right into Stiles’ eyes. And audible gasp left the teen’s lips, followed by a series of curses. The Nogitsune rolled his eyes, not bothered. Stiles’ attempts at swatting him away were futile anyway, as he could easily choose to become transparent and as easy to catch as fog. 

Oh, the teen’s lack of focus, his overactive mind and imagination- it was tugging on him, pulling him deeper into this sea of the unknown. It wasn’t as much endearing as it was something to take advantage of- he would have thought, had he been the same fox that possessed Stiles ages ago. That growl in the back of his throat grew louder, and he chose to solidify when Stiles grabbed for his shirt. _Something_ was due to happen. Patience was running thin.

It took Stiles by surprise, halted him right in his tracks. He’d grabbed at Void expecting it to be futile. This was weird, the usual roles were reversed. Usually Void did all the threatening grabbing. They both stared, their faces merely inches apart, Stiles ever the more dumbfounded one. A sound got caught in the back of the teen’s throat.

The kiss. The memory came flooding back. Void had taken it from Stiles that night to feed on his conflicted emotions. Stiles had convinced himself of that, convinced himself that there was no way Void could have the ability to want something like that- something so useless and pathetic as romance.

But what if? The teen’s breath hitched, his gaze flickering between Void’s intense eyes and pale lips. They were coming closer, so close Stiles could feel the lack of heat, could feel the frost on them. Nerves threatened to make him let go, his grip on Void’s shirt slipping, but a hunger from deep inside screamed for him to hold on. Hold on and pull closer. His breath hitched again, his trembling fingers adjusting against the green shirt, pulling ever so lightly.

Void growled softly, left to take the decisive action. There was a moment of hesitation where they both reconsidered, where they both averted their gazes elsewhere, but it was thrown away. As soon as their gazes met by chance, it was decided. Void leaned in, his eyelids falling shut as their lips finally met. Stiles had all the time to see it coming, had every opportunity to lean away from it, but he didn’t. Instead, his eyelids fluttered closed too, and he let the Nogitsune take the lead. Just a tiny taste- it couldn’t hurt. It just happened.

It burnt, heat meeting such intense cold with such a stark difference it made them both flinch. A tiny gasp slipped Stiles’ lips, painted Void’s cold ones. But the gasp was swallowed, licked up by a wet tongue. Another gasp followed; the lick having been a surprise. Void took that one as well, enveloped Stiles’ lips with his own, and moved them together. The difference in their temperatures melted into something electric and steamy, something good. It was different, made different kinds of butterflies swirl in Stiles’ stomach, made his chest swell with heat and his cheeks burn. It made the surroundings fade.

A sharp gasp separated their lips, and Stiles took the chance to catch his breath, though he wasn’t given much, not enough to calm the dizzying rush of lightheadedness the lack of oxygen gave him. Not this time either. Void placed his rough palm against his cheek, his fingers brushing over Stiles’ sensitive ear and into his messy hair, then he _pulled_ hard. Void pulled Stiles in for more, a satisfied growl coming from the back of his throat as the teen whined from the rough treatment. The taste of the teen’s lips was every bit as delicious as it had been that day, if not even more, and those damn _sounds_ , they tasted like the sweetest food there was.

A pained moan finally slipped Stiles’ lips, so raw and warm it painted white smoke on the cold air. It lingered, the sound carrying the need behind it so well. Stiles was fumbling to get a better grip, his head spinning. Void kept taking his breath away, kept pushing their lips together and kept licking deeper. It was dizzying, amazing, and so damn hot. Damn his clumsy, shaky hands, they wouldn’t keep up, wouldn’t listen to what Stiles wanted them to do instead of what was ingrained in his body: to not indulge himself, to deny every craving. The tremble wouldn’t stop. Magic wasn’t causing it. 

_“Don’t worry, little kit. I got you,”_ Void whispered sweetly against Stiles’ red, raw lips, his own curling into a genuine smile. Their noses touched as he tilted his head to kiss deeper, gentle and languid. So different from that first time.

Stiles believed it; had to believe, had to trust in it because for once it felt so sincere. A whimper fell as he let Void dip in again, one filled just as much with relief as it was with growing excitement. The taste of it spread, burgeoning when the Nogitsune’s tongue ran against his. Fuck. Void was so skilled at this, such a damn tease.

With a sudden growl, Void placed a firm hand on Stiles’ waist, claws digging in enough to make blood stain pale skin. He pulled the teen in between his legs, the action rough enough to get the point across. Trembling hands placed flatly against the top of the hood, pinning the fox, and Stiles gasped once more. Flush together like this, their desires were impossible to hide. Their connection was growing, spreading, making every want and craving so obvious.

Just a little more. Just one more taste. One slip-up could be forgiven, couldn’t it?

This time, Stiles leaned in for more. He licked back against Void’s cold tongue, tasted the excitement and the pleasure that was so potent on his spirit. Goosebumps spread on flushed skin, sending a thrill down his spine.

Hunger for pleasure, for heat, for pain and for everything else desirable- it grew until there was no turning back. Stiles didn’t know how things ended up where they did, didn’t know how the Nogitsune’s strong arms took him to the back of the seat. It had barely been a flash before his eyes. It happened so fast, spun his mind in circles. Perhaps it was magic. Everything felt like magic at that point.

Darkness cloaked the surroundings, spread, and crept like vines under the car’s roof when Void pinned Stiles down to the seat. The Nogitsune got on top of him, between his legs, his palm rough against reddening skin, and dark claws sharp as they dug lightly into Stiles’ throat. It should have been scary, but Stiles couldn’t resist. The dizzying lack of air made sure to keep him buoyant and not caring of the ocean of insecurities and nerves.

Void smirked, his teeth ever so threatening and sharp when displayed. The dark fox stared, his eyes heavily lidded and eyebrows raised lazily, that expression filled with something- something Stiles couldn’t quite catch because of the greying spots filling in his vision. It was intoxicating, made him whine, arch up for more. Because there was heat pooling- lower, lower, to where Void was pressing up against him, moving slowly, teasing. That high just kept going, until it was time to crash. Void waited for Stiles’ vision to almost black out before he loosened the grip around his oh so delicate throat. The mark left there was delicious, red, and perfect, the little dips of claws having imprinted so beautifully.

Stiles gasped, inhaled cold air right into sore lungs and coughed it out dryly afterwards, his voice raspy. But void didn’t leave him be. Once certain the little kit had enough air to not pass out, he gave his cheek a gentle pat, grasped Stiles’ jaw and tilted his head from side to side with a light laugh at his lips. The fox admired his work, whispered so sweetly how red suited Stiles.

Stiles had never felt so much like prey and never felt so willing to get preyed upon either. Whatever the dark fox would do, it would be fine. It was wanted. Stiles needed it, craved it, couldn’t wait anymore. The betrayal was fine, forgiven. That heat which was pooling was growing unbearable. He grew impatient and wrapped his trembling hand around Void’s wrist, then nudged into his rough palm. As much as Stiles’ chest was heaving, his lungs working desperately for air, a raspy voice begged for more.

 _“Maybe if you begged louder,”_ Void chuckled darkly, rubbing his palm against Stiles’ cheek, his thumb dragging over the teen’s trembling bottom lip. It dipped in between warm lips, made the teen part them. Void’s hips moved fluidly, grinding up against Stiles’ growing erection. Just a little more teasing and the teen would get what he wanted. _They would both get what they wanted._

But Stiles didn’t know that. Stiles couldn’t wait anymore. Compromised as his control over their position and pace was, Stiles figured trying couldn’t hurt. The Nogitsune’s power was something to admire and to consider, but it didn’t matter. This wasn’t a fight in that sense, where power mattered. Eager, perhaps a little too high on adrenaline, he hooked a leg around Void’s hips and pulled him in. Just like Void had pulled that time they had first kissed, Stiles wanted to pull Void in, _roughly._ He used his free hand to grab onto his neck as well and pulled him down until their lips crashed.

“Or I could make _you_ beg,” Stiles forced out through clenched teeth after another rough kiss. Oh, how cocky did that sound? How pretentious was it to assume it could be done? As if it could ever happen even in Stiles’ wildest dreams?

 _“And how would you do that, Stiles?”_ Void laughed breathily, hiding surprise, grinding once more for delicious friction. Their bodies flush together once again, chest to chest, the fabric of Stiles’ blue hoodie rubbing against that green shirt Void made it appear he wore. Void’s lips ghosted up across the red mark on Stiles’ throat, drinking in lingering pain from it. A pleasured shudder left cold lips, not missed. Stiles’ eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head back, a rush of heat wrecking through him. Stiles hadn’t heard Void shudder like that before. It had never sounded real in his dreams. This was real however, and just a small taste, one Stiles wanted more of.

Once again growing impatient, Stiles pulled at Void’s slicked back hair, found comfort in knowing it could be done, and flipped them- halfway. Void wasn’t so kind as to let himself be tossed around, and definitely didn’t want to let anyone be above him. The dark fox growled and placed a firm hand on Stiles’ ass, ripping his pants down to his thighs.

“Woah-” Stiles looked down between them quickly, taken by surprise, though there wasn’t much to see as Void pressed closer, blocking the view. Okay, okay this was getting closer to his dreams. It was getting rough, a dance between push and pull.

 _“I’d like to see you try,”_ Void challenged.

Only a second later and shadows swirled around them, turned everything but them into darkness. The next moment, Void’s clothes were gone. Now Stiles could see, fully, just how much Void had tweaked and changed. As if Stiles hadn’t grown more lately and grown more muscular, Void was more than that- bested him even there. He was just a bit more toned, that bit of muscular enough for there to be a difference.

He growled loudly again, then tugged roughly at Stiles’ hair, showing off what real strength could be. Stiles couldn’t help but yelp, his face twisting from the sudden pain. Tears welled up, blurring the view. God- it was amazing. Feeling so helpless, so overpowered, it was strangely addictive. Pain shouldn’t feel so delicious, shouldn’t make him feel _like that_. But a telling arousal bloomed, and Void relished in it.

Their bodies moved together from there on, Void pushing, guiding, dominating, biting trails down Stiles’ exposed neck, and coating old scars with fresh bite marks. Stiles could try to push back, could try to meet Void, or pull away, but the dark fox wouldn’t have any of that. He only seemed to get more violent the louder Stiles whined and moaned. There was no escaping, not even when Void’s smooth grinding became rough and too much. Stiles hadn’t had any relief in ages, not voluntarily, and the intensity was quickly becoming overwhelming. Those wet dreams from the previous night hadn’t given any form of satisfaction. They were the very reason for the desperation Stiles felt. They hadn’t been _enough_. They never were. As much as he wanted Void to take control and absolutely ruin him, there was something hot and heady building up too fast. Desperate to not let things end too soon, he reached down between them and grasped.

The lack of heat form Void’s body was no surprise, not anymore, but Stiles’ abundance of heat could have been, to the Nogitsune. The latter hissed loudly, thrusting into Stiles’ warm hand by instinct. He gave the teen a glare, a low growl lingering. The question went unspoken. _‘what do you think you’re doing’._ Neither of them needed to voice it to know what was going on. Stiles could finally catch a break, and he huffed with a tiny, victorious smile. Void hadn’t gone as far as to touch him there yet, so in a sense, Stiles had won this little race. 

_“I’ll ruin you.”_

“Try me,” Stiles dared, his teeth clacking together from the thrill of the Nogitsune’s words. Fuck, how many times had Stiles ran that scenario past in his mind? He wrapped a leg around Void, pressing their fronts together, easily showing how needy he truly was. Playing with fire was exhilarating, though, you had to expect to get burnt.

Void dug his claws in and ripped Stiles’ boxers to shreds, easily cutting through skin as well. A loud cry echoed into the night, followed by a series of quick, sharp sobs. Stiles lost his grip, and instead clung around Void’s shoulders, hugging tightly the further those claws _dug_ in and tore away. It would leave a scar, for sure. A clear proof of ownership. He kept crying out, choking on sobs until Void began to laugh a sadistic little line:

_“Beg.”_

So, he did. Stiles begged. He begged repeatedly, begged for Void to touch him, to stop, to continue- not making any sense as he babbled. Desperate as the teen was for the moment to last forever, he was at the end of the rope.

It might not have been such a surprise, but Void knew exactly what Stiles liked, had gone through his mind so many times, found what made him break. Though, he had never broken the teen in this way. He used that knowledge, eager to hear and see the results. As much as the dark fox wanted to take credit for Stiles’ feverish dreams, he had nothing to do with those; not really.

Void indulged too, in what he wanted. He reached for Stiles’ cock and began to stroke, his grip tight and cold. As thought, _something_ was long overdue: satisfaction. Milking Stiles dry of sobs and desperate moans came close to the most intoxicating rush of _power_ Void had felt- perhaps his entire life. And, it had been a long one.

Stiles moaned shortly against warming lips, his breaths turning into pants, the intakes of air becoming shorter. The Nogitsune nipped at his lips until they bled again, stole Stiles’ breath away whenever he wasn’t grinning or teasing, and Stiles begged him so sweetly. It was enough to make the windows on the car fog up, enough to make even Void’s cold spirit fill with heat. A guttural growl rumbled in the Nogitsune’s throat, heavy with arousal. Stiles could tell because their cocks were flush together and pre-cum coated their sensitive skin. Stiles reached down again too and wrapped his own hand around Void’s throbbing dick.

It was when Stiles began to rub his thumb over the Nogitsune’s slit that the dark fox began to lose composure, finally. Then his free hand began to wander, gripping and clawing at Stiles’ body, trailing up his sides. Sharp black claws dug into Stiles’ flesh once more. Void, of all, was getting desperate, reaching that high. How many years had it been? Their legs tangled, both of them were getting restless and craved all the closeness they could get. The connection grew, mixed all senses, all emotions, the climbing high-

Stiles couldn’t handle the mix of pain and pleasure. A sense of searing hot heat, traveling from the base of his spine and up, accompanied by a darkness, so inviting and so wanted, raked over him. Blood rushed in his veins, painted their lips, painted his bruised and torn skin. Void gorged in it, and bit into Stiles’ still exposed neck, sank his sharp teeth into it to muffle a hot moan and drink in the teen’s rich blood. Pleasure overflowed, and Stiles choked on a broken cry.

A white and sticky mixture coated their stomachs and hands seconds later. Void groaned, easing all grips, and licked the blood up with a pleasured, defeated sigh, and Stiles exhaled loudly.

That had been something. Something far better, _so much more_ than a dream could ever be. Stiles laid there with closed eyes, his chest still heaving and his heart still racing long after. He let himself drift. The sensation of Void’s lukewarm lips against his throat, his hands trailing up and down, his tongue lapping up the warm blood... it was perfect. If only it could last. If only it could be more. If only it could be allowed to be more than just a one-time thing- more than a slip-up, more than a moment of _weakness._

 _“I’ll help you,”_ Void whispered, shifting to nudge his cheek against Stiles’. _“If you wonder.”_

A ghostly breath blew at the teen’s ear, sending a shiver down his spine where clawed fingers were already trailing up and down, comforting and soothing. For a moment, there was silence, then Stiles’ heartbeat spiked again. It almost felt like real heat was spreading.

_“Now rest, little kit. I got you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that wraps that chapter up! Now, do consider that this chapter and chapter 2 were originally supposed to be one, and that chapter 3 was originally going to be called ‘breaking-point’ (for obvious reasons) if you were feeling disappointed by the lack of actual outfoxing of wolves, haha! I just felt like splitting ‘Outfoxing the wolf’ into two parts was better for you readers. I even had to cut out some scenes, believe it or not. I was right in that decision because holy shit.  
> Things are finally kicking into motion! What did you think?

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, so, this is my first ever Teen Wolf fic. Treat me gently please, ahaha.


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